Naruto: Changing Times, Darker Days
by Z.J Wilson
Summary: Sequel to Naruto: Different Past, Brighter Future Naruto returns to Konoha, stronger than before and ready to finish what should have never been started. He will have to rediscover how powerful everyone has become in order to keep as many of his friends alive as possible in the coming war... but he will also have to rediscover his personal goals and ambitions to keep himself sane
1. Chapter 1

_Hiruzen,_

_Well, old friend, it looks like your persistence has gotten you into even more trouble. I told you weeks ago that your pointless badgering about your lost Hyuuga would rile my village into a war frenzy once more, and the time has come. I can't reason with the masses any longer, and their arguments are making more and more sense to me. As much as it pains my old bones to do so, I prepare with my village for the tides of war for what I know will be the last time. I won't see another one, no matter what the outcome of this one may be._

_Believe me, I know the pain of losing shinobi under mysterious circumstances. But you had no real reason to push us as far as you did, and I stand by my claim of having nothing to do with the kidnapping. Hell, I was watching you hand your student his scaly ass!_

_As it is, I can't say I look forward to seeing you on the fields of war again. No doubt we've slowed down, but we might as well remind these kids what a real ninja used to be, eh? _

_I'm sorry that this has to be our last cordial letter, I had grown fond of them over the past few years. Unfortunately, we cannot stand for the disrespect you've been showing us, and we're ready to make Konoha bleed for it. So, for the last time, goodbye old friend._

_Your not-so-new enemy,_

_Onoki_

* * *

_Lord Third,_

_I am writing on behalf of my Raikage due to the fact that his overwhelming rage over your behavior throughout the past year has left him incapable of holding writing instruments and leaving them whole. _

_To reiterate our list of grievances with you over the last year will likely justify our cause for anger._

_Groundless accusations over the abduction of one of your shinobi._

_Failure to respond to letters in a timely manner regardless of urgency in your own writing._

_Refusal to accept the condolences and oaths of honor from our Raikage._

_Several bodies returned to us after the Exam invasion with no compensation of needless death._

_Blatant disrespect when dealing with emissaries._

_I will leave you with a quote from my Raikage and allow you to get to your own preparations._

_"Konoha has been on top for too long, and the power has gone to their heads! If they think that their position lets them speak to us this way, then it's time we removed them from that position! Kumo's time is now, and Konoha will have to either accept that fact or die at our feet."_

_We will see each other on the battlefield,_

_Darui_

* * *

_Sensei,_

_I bet you never expected to receive a letter from me, right? Yes, it's me, your little 'prodigy gone wrong'. I just wanted to let you know that the entirety of the elemental nations can feel the rumblings of another war, with Konoha in the middle of it. Oh, how I remember how the vultures circled us last time! _

_Wasn't that a blast, Sensei? Ah, unfortunately, I now find myself in the position of the vulture, except I'm more than happy to take my pickings. I just wanted to let you know that you may have gotten the better of me in our last little playfight, but things will be different next time. _

_See you amidst countless bodies,_

_Orochimaru._

* * *

_Sensei,_

_Hi, yeah, bad news. Taki just lost their Jinchuriki, and no one got a description on the Akatsuki members responsible. The only evidence that it was even them is pretty iffy: a piece of a cloak that's half black and half red, nothing definitive of a cloud though. So yeah._

_All in all, we have no leads on Hinata, no new info on any of the villages looking to slit our throats, we can't find Sound or Orochimaru, and Naruto is due to come back expecting answers or leads. _

_On the upside, being part of a secret undercover team lands a guy LOADS of tail. They don't even try to coax details out of me. It's great, you should have told me to do this way sooner._

_See you around when Naruto gets back._

_Jiraiya._

* * *

_Hey Old Man,_

_I'm making my way home now. Had a pretty productive trip, and I'm pretty sure I could take that hat from you whenever you're ready. No pressure though. _

_How much stronger did everyone get while I was gone? It still kinda sucks I couldn't bring Team 7 with me, but they probably found way better teachers in Konoha. How could I compare to either Itachi or Tsunade right?_

_Anyway, you know I'm mostly just filling out the paper here. You won't bother with a response since I'll be back by the time it gets to the little town I'm sending this from. I'm also gonna walk home instead of flashing in, there are a few things I wanna check before I get back so I'll be a few days._

_So the big stuff. I really want to get put on Hinata's rescue team, be all poetic and stuff ya know? I mean, dad did it and he ended up marrying my mom haha. But yeah, I'm totally ready to fight a war for her, but I know it won't come to that with you showing me the 'Hokage' way of doing things. Can't wait to see you all again! _

_Naruto_

* * *

"I have to retire," Hiruzen Sarutobi managed to wheeze out between tired lips. He sat at his desk wearing his full hat and robes, the various scrolls and messages laid out before him, with Naruto's being the most recent. Why did everything have to happen today? And all at once? And why wouldn't Tsunade take the damn hat?

"I've been telling you that for years," Tsunade jibed as she walked in. She looked not a day older than she did the last time she saw that little twerp of Minato's, but she couldn't say the same for her Sensei. The years and the stress were really starting to wear down on him, and it showed. His wrinkles looked deeper, his eyes held more mist in them than they ever had before, and he looked tired enough to sleep on the pile of papers in front of him.

"Does that mean you're finally here to relieve me of my torture?" the Third chuckled lightly. Laughs were rare in his office as of late. Not even his grandson's antics brightened his mood anymore.

Tsunade looked hard at the old man, seriously considering the option for what was the first time. "Have you asked Kakashi?"

"He would manage for a time, but he's not quite ready to run a village. He's used to small teams getting the job on hand done. Having one goal and doing whatever he could to accomplish it. A good quality, yes, but he's not finished fleshing it out. In a few years, I imagine his mind will have shifted to taking in the bigger picture as a whole, at the very least coming to see the village as a team to protect and lead."

"You're still pretty long winded for your advanced age, I see," Tsunade sighed and sat down with a small smile.

"Enough wind to still give you a good sparring session if you upset me enough, that's for sure!"

Tsunade had to smile at the thought. It was likely true, even in her fighting peak she could never truly lay a hand on her sensei, old age be damned. It was also true that someone would have to step in for him sooner rather than later, and she owed it to him to at least be a placeholder for the next Hokage's coming.

"I take it Jiraiya still isn't a candidate?" probably a stupid question.

Hiruzen simply passed her the message Jiraiya had sent. Definitely a stupid idea.

"How can he really be that stupid?" Tsunade asked in near exasperation.

In all seriousness, Hiruzen looked her in the eyes and said, "Well, you did hit him in the head quite a bit as kids…"

Tsunade shot him an annoyed glance, "Cut me some slack, you know he had it coming to him."

A chuckle was her only response. After a comfortable moment of silence had passed, Hiruzen asked in a weary voice, "What are we going to do, Tsunade? Another war and most of our shinobi remember the last one."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, sighing as she stared at the blank wooden ceiling. "Normally I'd say 'What we've always done: win.' But I understand your desire to end these wars. We've destroyed as many lives as we've saved, and it's pretty heavy on my mind too."

"My point exactly. All of these wars over the years and almost nothing has changed. What will it take to convince Iwa and Kumo to work _with _us instead of _against _us?"

Tsunade bit her lip. "There might be too much bad blood to avoid drowning in it, Sensei."

Hiruzen rubbed at his wrinkled face, "What would you have me do, then? Follow Danzo's advice and just make sure there was no one left to wage a war at all?"

"I'm saying," Tsunade drew out her words for the extra emphasis, "that you should pass the problems off to someone else. You've dealt with them for more than long enough."

"And who would you have me give the hat to? Naruto?"

"No, but maybe I can in a few years, depending on how he matures."

The silence that invaded the room was laced with emotion. Surprise and resignation being the two most prominent ones. "You'll take the position?" Hiruzen asked quietly. He refused to meet her gaze, likely worried he might see the glint of a joke in her eyes.

"At least until Jiraiya's brat makes good on his promise and is ready, yes."

Hiruzen stood up from his chair and walked around his desk. Tsunade stood as well, rising to match his height and expecting him to simply hand her the hat. Instead, he wrapped her in his thin yet still strong arms, giving her the first hug she had received from him since she had become a chunin.

"Thank you, Tsunade. I know you never wanted this for yourself, so thank you for taking the hat before it killed me."

Completely stunned, Tsunade didn't move. Hiruzen simply released her, set the hat he so despised in his advanced years on the desk, and walked out the door. Tsunade knew he'd tell the people who had to know to make it official, so she just let him leave. Let him have his day, it was his first real day off in far too many years.

Tsunade picked up the hat and moved her way back to the old chair she had gotten used to seeing her Sensei in. Taking the seat, she donned the hat. It fit her well. Then she read over the papers left out, the messages sent to Hiruzen.

Hiding her first bottle of sake as Hokage sealed the deal. This was her burden to bear now, and by Kami, she wouldn't do it sober if she could help it.

* * *

"Why did you want to come back here again?" Naruto asked aloud as he stepped onto the overgrown grounds of Kurama's temple once more.

**"I told you, you have to be back in that reflection room for me to do what I have in mind."**

Naruto stepped into the main hall, "It's nothing stupid right? You won't give me a tail or turn me into a chick or anything?"

There was a loud snort from Naruto's mindscape. He took that as a maybe, so he was wary when he stepped into the somewhat familiar white room dancing with grey veins.

"Alright, what next, oh cryptic one?" Naruto snapped out sarcastically.

**"Just get your ass in here, kit."**

Naruto sat down with his legs crossed, comfortable enough to go into his mindscape. He had had plenty of practice doing so over the last year, and now it took no time at all.

* * *

"Alright furball, what's the big plan?" Naruto asked from his seat atop Kurama's head.

**"You know I hate it when you appear on my head, right?" **with a flick of his head, Kurama sent Naruto hurtling to the ground. **"And we're here to try and create a contract."**

Pulling himself back up and straightening his clothes, Naruto asked, "We already kinda have one, though. You live inside me and keep me alive, and therefore keep yourself alive."

**"If I do this right it will be more of a summoning contract…"**

"Woah, hold up. Since when has there been a fox summons?"

**"There isn't, at least to my knowledge. And you'd be summoning only me, not foxes."**

"And where do you think I'd find the chakra to summon YOU of all things?" Naruto was very skeptical of this plan.

**"Naruto, you can literally store hundreds upon hundreds of seals full of your chakra AS WELL AS tapping into the chakra of the literal environment."**

"You make a fair point. How's this work?" Naruto conceded as he sat down in front of the Biju.

**"I'll create the contract itself on your back, and no one else will be able to sign it. This stays between you, me, and if I agree whoever my next jinchuriki is. You'll be able to summon me at various strength levels, one for each tail, so you don't have to blow chakra every time I want out of here for a while."**

"So I'll be spending enough chakra to not only summon your soul and various power levels but also enough to create a physical body for you? Doesn't really sound worth it."

**"I'll handle the manifestation of a body, you just get me and some of my power into the real world."**

"Hmmm. Deal," Naruto stood, removed his shirt, and gave his back to Kurama.

One of Kurama's massive claws touched lightly onto the skin of Naruto's spine, and his entire back was filled with black, flowing markings that glowed with power. Naruto shivered at the warm sensation, and he felt it trail all the way down his spine before flowering out to encompass the rest of his back. A year ago he would be hard-pressed to trust Kurama this much, but now it was nothing.

**"I'm done. Go into the main hall of the temple and summon my one tail form."**

* * *

Naruto had his shirt off as he walked into the main room of the temple, and he was constantly looking over his shoulder at the new black marks running down his back. Maybe people would mistake it for a tattoo.

Naruto bit his thumb and ran through the seals to summon. What he did do differently, though, was reach his chakra to his back to feel for the contract. Naruto felt a subtle shift in his energy as well as a slight heat on his back, and he knew he wouldn't summon a toad by accident.

Slamming his hand down, Naruto saw a small circle of the usual seals appear before the puff of smoke blinded him.

Standing there, under his hand, was Kurama. Barely bigger than the last time Naruto had seen Akamaru, the chibi version of the mighty nine-tails only sported one of the fluffy appendages.

**"Ah, fresh air. Hello, Naruto."**

Naruto, as much as he tried to suppress it, let out a loud, echoing laugh. He fell to his rear and rocked with the laughter, annoying Kurama to no end.

**"What?" **

"It… it's just that, OH KAMI! Your deep ass voice is coming from a MIDGET YOU!" more laughter followed, even as Kurama huffed in his tiny form.

**"It's not like I can just change my voice… let's just get back to Konoha."**

* * *

Naruto stood in the middle of the road, the towering gate of Konoha's wall staring him in the face. What would he come home to? How much could change in just a year? Who all would be home?

"Been a while, eh Naruto?"

Naruto spun to face the voice directly behind him. Unsurprisingly, Kakashi stood there, nonchalantly reading his preferred literature.

"Why am I not surprised you'd know I was back before I was even back?" Naruto joked. "It's good to see you, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi pat the top of Naruto's head as they started the walk to the gates. "To tell the truth I'm just returning from a mission with Jiraiya and Anko. I got lucky and decided to hang back for a bit."

Naruto perked up at that. At the very least he would see both of his sensei today. After checking in at the gate, Naruto and Kakashi started to walk towards the Hokage's building.

"Hey, I'd say you're almost as tall as I am now," the masked man made conversation.

"Pa says I might be as big as Ero-sensei when I'm finished growing. I guess I eat more bugs than he ever did," Naruto pulled a quick face at the thought of his previous year's menu.

"I wouldn't put too much stock into that, but you sure aren't the runt I remember trying to climb on my shoulders."

The two walked in happy silence, Kakashi's words having started a mental trip down memory lane. Naruto had to agree, he had changed quite a bit since he left with Jiraiya.

**"I'd say the change was for the better, even as annoying as you still are."**

_"Love you too, asshole."_

* * *

The duo walked into the Hokage's office to an… unexpected sight. Hiruzen had changed even more than Naruto had. He had lost his wrinkles, his beard, and most likely his male reproductive organs.

"Uh, hey there Jiji. You look, uh, different than when I left," Naruto stumbled through his greeting, prompting Tsunade to lift her head up from her paperwork.

"Real clever, brat. Kakashi, Jiraiya already gave me a briefing so you're free to go. If you'd do me a favor and tell Jiraiya his troublemaker is back I'd appreciate it."

Kakashi bowed as he left, giving Naruto an eye-smile as he did so. That bastard could have at least warned him…

"So, not that I'm not happy for you or anything, but what happened to the Old Man?" Naruto asked as he slid into a chair.

Tsunade simply sighed as she moved her papers off to the side. "He's old, Naruto. This job was killing him as surely as this war would have."

"Wait, we're in the middle of a war? Why didn't anyone call me back?" Naruto sat up straighter, mild panic rising in his voice.

"Calm down," Tsunade's tone wasn't an amused one. "Sensei did his best to prolong the attempts at peace talks until you could finish your year of training. It was difficult, but he managed to have the official declaration held off until earlier this week."

Naruto relaxed back into the chair. "I'll have to thank him then. So, what's our list of enemies looking like so far?"

Before Tsunade could respond, a third voice piped up from the side of the room. "Better than it could be, but worse than it should," Jiraiya lazily interrupted. He was seated on the windowsill, looking bored as he doodled notes onto a pad of paper for something.

"Jiraiya, you can't keep pulling this stunt! I'm the Hokage now," Tsunade almost growled at him. Naruto had to suppress a smile.

"Eh, Hokage or not, you're my teammate first. And Naruto is my… special little problem, so I figured I could barge in."

**"Let it slide…"**Kurama prevented the slew of insults Naruto had prepared for the white-haired man.

"Fine. Then you can finish talking to him. I need a break and a drink," Tsunade insisted. Naruto had a feeling that she had planned to pass him off as soon as she could anyway. Much to his surprise, however, she didn't leave her desk for her break. Instead, she reached into one of the drawers and pulled out her own bottle. He should have figured.

"Alright Naruto, we'll continue just as soon as Shizune finishes up," Jiraiya hummed as he hopped off the window and made his way to the remaining chair.

Naruto was confused, to say the least, and Kurama couldn't offer any insight. Then he understood all in a… very short amount of time.

Tsunade pulled the stopper from her bottle, the gentle pop nearly inaudible. The door flew open, and a very frazzled, pig-holding Shizune burst into the room. Naruto sat in silent awe and confusion as she wrestled with the Hokage for the prized bottle of sake. The two ladies rolled over the desk, and Shizune eventually popped up with the alcohol. She then ran from the room, screaming something about 'proper behavior in your position', and she was tailed closely by the older blond.

"Ah," Jiraiya sighed as he put away his pen and paper, a lecherous yet stupid smile on his face. "I love when she decides to take breaks."

"Focus, pervert," Naruto muttered under his breath.

"Oh, I'm focused alright… Ah! State of affairs, that's right!" the Sannin snapped his fingers at his revelation. "So, here's the basic rundown. Iwa and Kumo hate us, big surprise there, and half of Mist is now loyal to Orochimaru and will probably attack as well. Suna is on our side though, so that's good news. Hmm, Akatsuki seem to be mingled into the mix of things here, but I can't figure out how yet. I'm sure that losing Itachi was a pretty big blow and they're sitting back on their heels now, but I wouldn't count them out for too long. They've already snatched up Taki's jinchuriki."

Naruto did his best to follow along, he really did. The mere fact that two and a half of the five major villages hated Konoha's guts just seemed to not sit well with him. His sensei, of course, took it all in stride and relayed the information in an almost nonchalant tone. Almost as if he'd done this before… huh. Weird.

"And Hinata?" Naruto pressed as soon as he was able.

Jiraiya visibly darkened, and Naruto knew better than to expect good news. "I've spent the last year with Kakashi and Anko tracking her down, but I can't seem to pinpoint who has her. We're betting that she's alive, though. If she wasn't there'd be a village sporting at least one successful Byakugan transplant."

Naruto's fists clenched and his knuckles whitened. "What about her seal?"

"That's probably the only reason she's still alive. Whoever has her is likely taking as much time as they need to try and bypass that seal, and since whoever it is isn't as good as me or you, they'll need a lot of time. They probably shit a brick when they realized she had it, but it's not like they'll get another chance."

"They won't get much of a chance to do anything after this stunt if it's up to me," Naruto's voice dropped, and his eyes reddened. Ever since his merge with Kurama, his emotions had been more intense and easily displayed.

**"Easy, kit. You'll get your mate back, as well as your vengeance."**

Naruto calmed at the words even as Jiraiya patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, kid. We'll get her back before anything drastic happens. And maybe with you back on the force, you can mass out your clones and spread the party. If the Hokage permits it, that is."

"Yeah, about that! When did Jiji pass off the hat? And why wasn't I called back for it?" Naruto asked.

"Couple of days ago, and it was really a small affair. It usually is during wartime. He stepped down to retire again and Tsunade stepped into the office the same day. I didn't even know until a few days later when we got the hawk."

Naruto nodded in understanding and then stood up with his sensei when Tsunade waltzed back into the room, her face a bit flushed and her smile relaxed. She must have won the battle of the bottle.

"Well, Naruto," She started as she sat down at her desk. "What all did you happen to learn on your trip?"

Jiraiya perked up at this, as it was likely something he had been waiting to ask about for quite some time.

"Well, I did manage to become a perfect jinchuriki. Kurama and I are pretty tight."

**"Never say that again or so help me."**

"That's great! Any drawbacks you've noticed?" The Hokage asked as she pulled _yet another bottle _from her desk. When Shizune didn't barge in at the opening of said bottle Naruto answered.

"Most notable would be my increased emotions I think. I can still control them well enough, but they show more easily now. Also, I can hold the perfect cloak for well over an hour, and I'm getting close to two the last time I checked."

Naruto watched as his Hokage poured herself a saucer of her sake before taking long gulps from the container itself.

"Uh, good, good," Jiraiya tried to keep the conversation going while avoiding his teammate's glare. "And your Sage Mode?"

Naruto brightened at the mention of senjutsu. "I actually think that was my biggest improvement. I can enter Sage Mode in three minutes now, and totally on my own. I can last about twenty minutes per charge, and I can fit three seals on my arm to stock up," to emphasize his point Naruto pointed out three seals on his left forearm.

Jiraiya whistled in appreciation, "That's pretty good, kid. Anything else you want us to know?"

Naruto smiled mischievously at the question. "Well, I can split a waterfall no problem now, and I've already started on another impossible project."

**"Becoming attractive, less annoying, and/or a productive member of the human race?" **for some odd reason, Kurama was ignored. Heard, but ignored.

"Impossible project, eh?" Jiraiya leaned forward as Tsunade finished her bottle and tossed it to the trash. Her attention was also on him.

"Yup. Dad said that the Rasengan was incomplete."

Tsunade nodded in what appeared to be polite ignorance of the levity of his statement, but Jiraiya immediately caught on. Tsunade tossed what was left of her sake from the saucer and into her mouth, swishing it around before finally ingesting it.

"If you're looking for impossible you did a pretty good job of picking one," the white-haired Sannin mumbled.

Before Naruto could elaborate on his progress, the door burst down. Standing where the heavy door used to hang was a stiff looking Maito Guy. Everyone present immediately knew that something was off with the man.

"Hokage-sama, I have urgent news. Sasuke Uchiha has been taken from his Clan Compound by a large group of Sound nin. He fought off and killed several, and the commotion drew in several of his peers as well as myself. I took the initiative and sent out Chunin Neji Hyuuga, Shikamaru Nara, and Sakura Haruno. They are leading a team of genin comprised of Choji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, and Tenten Higurashi. I apprehended and captured three of the Sound operatives that were escaping into the village, but the children had to take pursuit on their own."

Tsunade was immediately sobered. The blush was gone, and her soft smile followed it shortly after. In that one instant, she had the look of a hardened veteran, a capable leader, and a Hokage that Naruto could follow. "You did well, Gai. Have you brought the three you captured to T&I already?"

Gai nodded once. "Yes, although they did have a strange technique which allows them to transform that made keeping them alive difficult. I'm sure Ibiki can handle it, but I would suggest possibly sending him backup."

The blond Kage snapped her fingers once and a masked ANBU appeared at her side. Without a word, she glanced at the masked nin and nodded. He was gone in an instant.

"Naruto, I assume that you would like to be involved in the retrieval of your teammate?" Tsunade asked rhetorically. Everyone knew the answer to that.

Naruto suppressed the rage he was feeling. "With your leave, Lady Hokage."

Once Naruto got clearance, he dropped a Hirashin kunai into Jiraiya's lap. "If I find Orochimaru I'll come to get you."

And then he was gone, even before he received approval from Jiraiya.

Gai was dismissed as part of Ibiki's backup, and the two Sannin sat in weary silence.

"How long had he been back before the shit hit the fan, Tsunade?"

"I'm guessing about two hours. That's if he didn't stop for ramen and came straight here."

Jiraiya shook his head. "He's just a magnet for trouble, that one. I hope he manages to get Sasuke back because if he fails at that too I don't think we'll have to worry about Sound or Mist anymore. They won't be on the map."

* * *

Naruto flashed into a pitch black area, much to the surprise of two others in the same 'room'. In the instant that his jutsu lit the pace up, he would almost suggest that they were in a cave.

"Sakura? Where are we? I thought you were tracking Sasuke," Naruto asked as he reached a hand out for the wall.

"Naruto?!" Sakura and the other voice yelled in surprise.

"Oh, Choji are you in here too? Nice to see you, man. Well, hear you."

"Naruto what are you doing back?" Sakura asked.

"Eh, I got back a few hours ago, and Guy-sensei interrupted my meeting with our new Hokage to tell her about you guys and Sasuke. So… here I am! What's our scenario here?"

Choji spoke up next, "This one guy called Jirobi broke off from his group to hold us off. He's huge, and he has this jutsu that's trapped us in this rock cave thing. I'm pretty sure it's sucking our chakra too."

"Here, let me get a feel of the wall, I've been working on my sensory abilities," Naruto suggested.

He moved to his left with his arms outstretched and reaching, the direction he remembered both the nearest wall and Sakura being. Now, taking into account that it was pitch black and Sakura hadn't said anything in a bit, it was completely understandable how Naruto made the mistake he did.

With his hands groping for some semblance of a rock wall, they met something much… softer. A pair of somethings, actually. Yeah, they were much softer than rock, and after his first involuntary squeeze, they almost seemed to have a tip or pebble at the front of them…

"YOU MOTHER FUCKER!" Sakura's fist somehow squarely found his jaw in the dark, planting firmly into the side of his face and rocketing him away. Naruto's head then crashed into the _opposite _rock face, not making a mark despite the speed he had hit it at.

"What? What happened? Are you guys okay? Why did it sound like Naruto flew into the wall?" Choji asked rapidly, his voice filled with worry. "Is this part of the sensing technique?"

"It better NOT be part of the fucking technique," Sakura growled.

Naruto lay against the far wall, doing his best to keep his whimpers to himself as he put his jaw back into place and flooded chakra to the area to heal it.

**"I. Am. SO PROUD!" **the comment was followed by a round of loud laughter.

"Sakura, by Kami, why don't you just punch the goddamn wall?" Naruto moaned once he could use his jaw.

The pinkette huffed. "Tell me where and I will. I have a lot of anger to get rid of now."

Naruto gulped audibly as Choji asked again, "Guys? I still don't know what happened."

"That's fine, Choji," Naruto immediately responded. "Alright, well at least I found a wall. One sec," Naruto place both hands on the wall and started to feel out the chakra coursing through it.

"Naruto," Choji started, "Can't you just make a shadow clone outside of the dome and have it place a Hirashin marker?"

"Already tried, the chakra in the walls is blocking my Presence," Naruto answered.

After a solid minute, a fed up Sakura asked, "Did you find the damn spot yet? I can feel this place sucking my chakra, and Choji and I don't have an infinite amount like you do!"

Naruto grunted. "Yeah, I found a couple. And don't worry about chakra since I can refill your reserves."

Naruto dusted off his hands before continuing, "Sakura, three feet to your right is where the chakra is the strongest, likely where that Jirobo guy is holding the jutsu at. Three feet to my left is where it's at its weakest, the exact opposite end which makes sense. Now, I can probably use a Rasengan—"

"About fucking time," Naruto heard Sakura cut him off before there was a loud _whumph _and a crack of light appeared. The entire dome of rock then crumbled in on itself, and Naruto could see his teammate's outstretched fist continuing from where the wall was and hitting a large Sound shinobi's jaw. He knew that one would hurt.

Naruto stood next to Choji, in complete awe of what just happened and totally fine with letting Sakura take this one.

"Huh? There's three of you now?" The large man said dumbly as he jumped back and rubbed his jaw. The shinobi was massive, both tall and stout. He may have been a bit round compared to the average shinobi, but the layer of fat likely hid pounds upon pounds of muscle. "How did you… I don't care. But since you broke out of my technique, I'll have to kick things up a notch!"

Sakura was about to charge in again when the black marks started to take over his body. The already ugly man then went through a kind of transformation, one that didn't help his slightly overweight and idiotic look. His skin turned completely red, and muscles seemed to bulge a bit before calming. The black receded, and Jirobo stood looking smug.

"Sakura, that's curse mark stuff, do you want help?" Naruto asked. Surprisingly, Sakura waved him off.

"You think you're the only one who can get a power boost?" Sakura asked aloud.

Choji leaned into Naruto and said, "We all loved it when she showed us this."

Sakura crossed her arms in a _very _familiar pose, and when she released them Naruto's eyes widened. She had opened the Gate of Opening. Fuck. Note to self, never upset her again.

Sakura flew forward at least twice as fast as the last time Naruto had seen her. Jirobo hurled a massive chunk of the earth at her, the mass of rock and dirt dwarfing the kunoichi. Sakura didn't even punch through it. She _flicked it_, and a few of Jiraiya's stories made Naruto rethink her training under Tsunade was good for his health.

Through the rubble, the transformed Jirobo showed fear for the first time. This little girl was coming for him, and she was stronger than anyone he had seen before.

"Surprise, bitch!" Sakura screamed as her fist made contact with his stomach.

The flesh of the Sound ninja's stomach offered little resistance to Sakura's fist, allowing it to sink in past her wrist. The shockwave that traveled along his belly fat seemed delayed, and the man was frozen in place by pain. His body tried to absorb the chakra present in the girl and the chakra invading his body, but there was no way he could do so in time. The wave made its way back to his center, and finally, the pent up energy found a place to escape. Out his back.

A massive crater was blown through Jirobo's body, the power behind Sakura's punch literally ripping him open. Over half of his back was blown away. Bits of his bloody organs decorated the trees behind him, and the shattered pieces of his spine cut into the trunks.

Sakura pulled her fist from the tiny hole it had made in the front as Jirobo's skin went back to normal. She shook off what blood she could, and then used the shirt of her now-dead opponent to finish cleaning her hand.

"So, uh, Sakura! About what happened earlier. It was a mistake, see, and I'm really sorry," Naruto started as he walked up to his teammate.

"I'm over it," she cut him off with a sigh. "It was dark, so I don't blame you too much."

"I'm not even going to ask anymore," Choji mumbled.

"Well," Naruto said both quickly and cheerily, "we should get going, someone else might need backup!"

And the three took off, Naruto scribbling seals onto tags so he could eventually give them back some chakra.

* * *

**That was the first of another multitude of chapters, any thoughts so far? **

**War is definitely coming, and Orochimaru is still set on trying to get himself a pair of Sharingan. Naruto will have quite a bit to deal with, but hey it makes for good reading right? See you guys in a bit, let me know how this one seems to be starting off!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ahah! I went a little overboard with this chapter. By overboard I mean it's 3k words over my normal goal and 2k over the last chapter. Feck.**

**Anyhow, This chapter will wrap up Sasuke's retrieval, and I promise I'll give the gan some downtime in the next chapter! They definitely need it.**

**I don't own this. **

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, and Choji all sped through the treetops in the direction that the latter two had seen the rest of the team run off in. The corpse of Jirobi lay in a pool of blood behind them, and their friends lay in various states of health or battle ahead of them. The conversation was sparse, and Naruto wasn't prone to banter during active missions as it was.

Before too long, however, all three shinobi started to notice massive spiderwebs hanging from the trees. Half a minute later Choji got his leg stuck in one, and the action alerted the trio to the fact that the webs weren't from natural spiders.

"Uh, guys? I swear I'm strong enough to break out of normal webs," Choji asserted as he tugged against the stout threads.

Sakura then tried to pry them apart, and even her super strength couldn't break more than one thread. Maybe if she opened the first gate again, but that would be overkill for such a small task.

"Looks like one of the enemies fights like a spider the same way Anko fights like a snake," Naruto mumbled. He nudged Sakura to the side and created his preferred chakra claws on his right hand, the wind chakra cutting easily through the web easily.

"Well Naruto, you have seniority here. What's the plan?" Sakura asked as Choji was freed.

Naruto then sat down cross-legged before replying. "I need three minutes to enter Sage Mode. After that, I should be able to pinpoint and eliminate whoever is responsible for this."

Sakura grabbed the pair of completed chakra tags from Naruto's pocket as he was prepping himself. She handed one to Choji and explained how they worked. After the pair felt rejuvenated, they simply watched Naruto. Gradually they could feel a serene presence surround their little group, and Naruto's eyes had an orange stripe run across them.

"You know, I don't actually think you've shown me this one before," Sakura said absently as Naruto stood back up.

"I've never had to. Kurama says it's on par with his more powerful cloaks, and the sensing capabilities are almost unmatched. In fact, I've picked up on Neji fighting our spider friend," was Naruto's response.

"What's the plan, then?" Choji asked him.

"You two wait here with a clone until he pops. My wind chakra and Neji's Gentle Fist are the only things we have that can probably cut through the webs."

Sakura looked like she wanted to protest, but technically Naruto was her senior officer in the situation. That in mind, she simply nodded along with Choji. Naruto flicked a quick, two-fingered salute before dashing off at a speed mistakable with a shunshin. He didn't use the actual technique just in case the spider-nin was also a sensor, but Sakura surmised he wouldn't need it with his augmented speed.

* * *

Naruto crouched in the branches of a leafy tree, using both his eyes and his Sage Mode's sensory ability to scope out the scene in front of him. Neji had just avoided the massive arrow aimed at his heart by mere inches, allowing the deadly projectile to plunge through his shoulder.

Naruto followed the string that was attached to the back end of the arrow, the same string Neji cut and pulled through his shoulder. There, up in the trees and completely hidden by both webs and foliage. A large, six-armed man sat holding a bow and yet another arrow aimed at Neji's position.

Naruto felt a spike of urgency, and he shot out a sharp tendril of Calm at the spider man. He had activated a curse seal of some kind, and Naruto didn't know if Neji could survive another shot.

The bow was drawn back, and Neji took off running unsteadily, showing just how many injuries he had taken fighting this Oto Jonin.

Naruto managed to get his Presence to take hold, and due to its calming nature, it went unnoticed.

A clone popped into existence behind the man, but the string was released anyway.

Naruto made a split-second decision and decided to trust in Neji's Byakugan to keep him alive, and he swapped places with his clone.

Naruto grabbed the bun of the spider-like nin and pulled him down onto the branch, straddling his waist as he did so. Naruto saw the maniacal glee leave the man's eyes as they bore into Naruto's furious, striped orange ones.

A Rasengan appeared before getting slammed down onto the shinobi's chest, tearing through a hard, yellow substance used for the bow and arrows like it was tissue paper. Once the protective shell was gone, Naruto felt the all-too-familiar grind of chakra against bone, and then the spread-eagle man's sternum gave way to the purely destructive nature of the jutsu.

Shards of bone cut into Naruto's cheek, small cuts that were almost instantly healed. Blood flew up around Naruto's arm and hit him in the face like a hot, demonic onslaught of raindrops. The Sound nin screamed loudly, and once Naruto got his hand into his chest cavity he ended the poor being's suffering. A quick, upward twist of his wrist obliterated the heart of Neji's attacker.

Naruto pulled his hand free and took a page from Sakura's book, cleaning the weapon of destruction on the man's clothing.

**"Your claws would have been cleaner, you know."**

_"This one is obviously one of Orochimaru's elites. I had to be sure."_

**"Hm. Fair enough. I'd help Neji if I were you."**

Naruto's head spun, and the scene that met him was disheartening, to say the least.

Neji dangled a good few inches off the ground, the last arrow of the spider man impaling him to a rock. Considering that the path of the arrow had blown through several trees before it had found its mark meant that Neji was unlucky in not receiving another clean pass. Instead, all the Hyuga could do was jump and hope that the arrow passed underneath his most vital organs.

Naruto raced to Neji's side and placed a splintered piece of a log under his feet, doing his best to relieve what must have been unbearable pain.

"Neji! Neji, are you with me?" Naruto asked frantically.

"Naruto? It's good that you're here… the others… will need help," Neji whispered. All of his strength was gone, and the light was slowly leaving his pale eyes.

"No, no no you bastard, you aren't allowed to die yet!" Naruto transferred one of his four spare chakra tattoos directly onto Neji's head, not healing him at all but buying him a few more precious minutes of life.

A clone appeared before immediately popping. Naruto pulled out a Hirashin kunai but was interrupted by Neji, "Naruto, it's no use. I'd need Tsunade, Shizune, or Sakura here to save me, and judging by the stories I don't think I'd survive you Hirashin-ing me home. I just wanted to tell you… You were right. About Hinata, and my stupid Fate deal. I talked with my uncle and… I just want to ask for your forgiveness. Before I… join my father."

Naruto blew air through his nose in exasperation. "He must have given you a concussion, too. Of course I forgive you, dumbass, but you sure as hell aren't gonna die here. There's more than one way to get you healed."

Naruto slammed the kunai into the dirt, and the clone he had left with Sakura and Choji appeared with both of them in tow.

Now, since it was Sakura and Choji's first time traveling via Hirashin, they had less than spectacular responses to warping through space and time. Sakura dry heaved off to the side, gagging almost violently. Choji, whose stomach was almost always full, ran off to the bushes to throw up whatever he had inside of him.

"What the hell, Naruto? I haven't seen you in a year and you do all this stupid shit to me?" Sakura complained wiping down her mouth.

"Sakura…" Neji whispered in immense pain. There may have even been a bit of hope mingled in that tone, but it was definitely almost all pain.

Sakura whipped her head around and went into a full-on medic mode when she saw the damage.

"Naruto be ready to catch him. I have to bust the rock to free the arrow," she ordered. Naruto knew that field ranks held no bearing in emergency medical situations like this, and the medic was always given the lead.

Naruto created a dozen clones to search for the remaining groups and provide what help they could. He then moved over to a nearly unconscious Neji as Sakura placed a hand on the boulder behind him.

A light tap from her knuckles and the large rock crumbled, freeing the arrow and allowing Neji to fall limply into Naruto's waiting arms. There was no preamble as Sakura motioned for him to place the Hyuga on his side.

"Okay, now I need you to cut the arrow off in the back as close to his skin as possible. After that, start pulling it out slowly and as straight as possible while I heal what I can on its way out. That should keep him from losing too much more blood," Sakura ordered even as she began to work on closing Neji's other various wounds.

Most of his serious injuries were located on his back, with several wounds looking much the same as one another. Likely the odd kunai that littered the clearing. Naruto's chakra claws made short work of the arrow, and the six inches protruding from the middle of Neji's back fell to the dirt.

Getting a nod from Sakura, Naruto slowly began to pull the arrow out the way it went in. Sakura's hands glowed brightly as she did her work, and no blood left the exit wound as she promised. When the end of the arrow left the front of Neji's body it was accompanied by a rank smell and a small spurt of blood. Sakura's hand was there immediately to both stem the flow and close the surface of the wound.

Now that Neji wasn't at risk of externally bleeding out Sakura laid him on his back. He was still unconscious, and Naruto was glad that the Hyuga was afforded that small comfort. He had taken a lot of damage and deserved the break from the pain.

"I just have to focus on heling what organs I can in the field. I should be able to stabilize his lungs, but that arrow took out a fair amount of his small intestine. At best I can stop the internal bleeding, but he has to get to the hospital for real treatment," Sakura told him.

That was Naruto's cue to take back over. "Okay. I'll leave three clones to carry him and escort Choji back. Choji, I need you to give a report on what's happened so far to the Hokage."

Choji held up a thumbs up from his spot halfway into a bush. He'd be good to go by the time Sakura was done with Neji. Probably.

"Sakura, be on standby for another clone to Hirashin you to wherever you're needed. That may be for either healing or combat, so be prepared for anything."

Sakura scowled lightly as she worked. "Ugh, we need to practice with you flashing us around everywhere. That first time sucked. Also, leave me another tag if you can, this is going to drain me."

Naruto did as he was asked, transferring one of his tattoos onto a sealing tag for his teammate. With that, Naruto took off in the direction of some of the clones that had popped. They had found Kiba and had been taken out in the ensuing fight with someone named Sakon. Or Ukon. The memories were pretty erratic.

* * *

Kiba spun to a hasty stop, his passing fang having ripped up the earth beneath him. His technique had gotten much stronger, and with Akamaru's new size he was hitting harder as well.

On the downside, they were fighting even numbers although they had expected to be fighting just one Sound jonin. This guy had some crazy ability to split off into _two different people_, and they were keeping him and Akamaru pretty busy.

Naruto's clones had appeared and tried to help, but the two Oto shinobi (or one?) were too slippery to get caught. They phased in and out of each other to both avoid and attack the clones, leaving them useless other than to alert the original Naruto of the location.

_'Come on, Naruto where are you?'_

Kiba took a hard blow to the shoulder, one that sent him spinning through the air. Luckily he was quite used to spinning, and when he caught the transformed Akamaru's eye they both went into Fang Passing Fang.

The Sakon Ukon duo smirked when they saw the twin destructive twisters barreling their way, the swerving and switching patterns of the Inuzka and his hound destroying anything in its path. Splitting at the last moment, the brothers took off in opposite directions. Kiba and Akamaru split up on a silent signal, Kiba going in after Sakon to the left.

The revolting technique of the Oto man saved him once more when he phased backward into a tree, tempting Kiba to plow into it and send its splinters flying everywhere. He did so, and the destruction was honestly magnificent to behold... but Kiba had played almost directly into Sakon's hands.

Sakon shot out of the ground, kunai at the ready, and did his best to skewer Kiba as he spun past. All he got for his trouble was a badly damaged kunai and torn up hand. Kiba's strength would make a one on one fight tough, so Sakon had to rely on Ukon to take out the puppy.

"Well," Kiba started as he reoriented himself, "I guess we get to see who has the better teamwork. An Inuzuka and his ninken or a pair of fucked up brothers."

Sakon smiled gleefully. "Silly boy, I am one of Oto's ELITE! I don't need my brother to kill you. Of the five, my brother and I are the most versatile, and it would be a cold day in hell before we lost to some genin and his mutt!"

Kiba knew he couldn't hope to kill both of these guys. He was buying time, at best. At worst, he'd shoot for a pyrrhic victory and hope his mother would understand.

"Why are you guys even doing this? What do you want with Sasuke?" Kiba asked as he readied a kunai.

Sakon perked his ears up and tilted his head to the side, and then was joined by his brother. Kiba had a horrible feeling in his gut, and he looked behind the two jonin.

Laying on his side, beaten, broken, and quite possibly dead, was Akamaru. Two of his legs were snapped at reverse angles of their norm, and his spine looked like it was in two pieces. That could just be his fur… Kiba hoped it was. There would be no real comeback from an injury like that.

Ukon answered Kiba, "Because he's part of our orders. Lord Orochimaru wants him, so Lord Orochimaru will get him. And you, little boy, are simply in the way."

Kiba saw red. His partner was… he'd be okay. Kiba just had to end the fight and get Akamaru back to the clan. Maybe Kiba's sister could do something. At the moment, though, he had to contend with the speeding brothers moving in to flank him.

They ran at Kiba with twin kunai drawn, sprinting directly at the Inuzuka from either side. Kiba knew he couldn't overpower them both, and they were faster than he was. He'd have to… think.

Kiba launched himself forward at a tree trunk at the last minute possible before flipping around charging at the spot he was once at with a Passing Fang, hoping to hit them both. Unfortunately, the brothers simply phased through each other and thrust out both a kunai and a foot each. Kiba's spin was interrupted, and twin gashes appeared along his sides. Painful, but far from lethal.

"When will you learn, little boy?" Sakon drawled as he and his brother sauntered closer.

Ukon continued as Kiba backed away on the ground, snarling like a cornered animal, "Your little tricks are powerless here. Nothing you do can stop us. We're just _better _than you."

Kiba found himself with his back against a tree and the brothers no more than ten feet in front of him, and steadily getting closer. Kiba gave one last look to Akamaru, taking solace that he'd die in battle with his best friend before fingering one of his last kunai.

There was a pause, and everything in the forest seemed to freeze. Birds and insects seemed to vanish, the air dropped in temperature, and everyone present felt the same, horrifying feeling. Well, Kiba was relieved at least.

Naruto's Power flooded through the woods, the cold, bitter fingers of hopelessness wrapped themselves around Sakon and Ukon's hearts. Kiba dropped his weapon and simply tried to relax. He was losing a bit more blood than he would like.

Naruto walked out of the shadows of the trees, his hair being one of the only things visible until he was close enough to hear.

"When will you Oto trash learn? I've already killed your resident spider freak and watched my teammate blow out your fat ogre's spine. We're just _better _than you."

Naruto's voice was low, calm, and smooth with confidence. Added to the feeling of pure Power he was exuding and Kiba would believe any claims he made. Hopefully, the brothers would do the same.

"Uzumaki. Or is it Namikaze now?" Sakon taunted. "We were wondering if you'd show your cowardly face. Word has it you've been hiding for almost a year now."

Naruto's face remained completely passive, and his body looked totally relaxed. Faster than anyone could follow, Naruto had a hand lazily outstretched towards Sakon, and the horrified twin had a long, shallow cut along the right side of his neck. Centimeters from actually killing him.

"Keep in mind you're alive because I feel like talking," Naruto added calmly. "Why are you after Sasuke?"

Ukon responded this time, "We already told your mutt of a friend here that was Orochimaru wants he gets, alright?"

Naruto looked at Kiba and Akamaru, and he felt a twinge of guilt at taking so long to find him. A genin shouldn't have to deal with this kind of thing, war or not. "Kiba, take Akamaru and follow this clone to Sakura. She'll patch you up enough to get him home to your clan vet," a clone appeared next to the downed pup and brought him immediately to Kiba. Kiba shakily stood and accepted his injured friend before walking after the clone as fast as he could manage.

"And what makes you think we're letting any of you leave these woods alive?" Sakon asked with bluster back in his voice.

Naruto sighed in apparent annoyance before disappearing from sight. Suddenly, a pair of Naruto's were behind each of the twins, and a sharp kick broke the outside leg of each brother. Their yells of pain were drowned out by the sick snap of their kneecaps, and then Naruto was back where he started.

"You two make it very hard to keep you alive. You're lucky I'm here and not Anko. She wouldn't even ask the question first, she'd start off by waterboarding one of you with your brother's blood."

At that morbid thought, Ukon gave in. "Fine. What do you want to know."

Sakon hissed at him but didn't protest. Naruto asked again, "What does Orochimaru want with Sasuke?"

"Lord Orochimaru has wanted a set of Sharingan for a long time, and right now he's hunting for a new host body."

Naruto followed up with, "How many of you are left, and who has Sasuke?"

Ukon hesitated to answer, and Sakon smiled triumphantly. At least he did until Naruto's knee was burying his face into the ground. "I only need you alive since you're the one talking. Your brother is just collateral to me at this point."

"Wait!" Ukon screamed just before Naruto plunge his chakra claws into Sakon's chest. "Sasuke and that jonin killed almost everyone except the Sound Five. The four of us were heading to meet up with our leader at the meadow in these woods, and we left Tayuya with Sasuke to hide him in the field as she fought off whoever followed her."

"This sound Five, who all is included and what is its purpose?"

Ukon swallowed heavily. "Sakon and myself, Tayuya, Jirobo, and Kidomaru are the original Sound Four. Kimimaro is our newest and strongest member, he's the one waiting in the field. We're the hand of Lord Orochimaru, his bodyguards and elite soldiers. What he wants done we get done."

Naruto didn't lift his knee from Sakon's face as he contemplated the new information. "You're more like servants to him than Elite fighters. I fought stronger Sound nin during the invasion while I assume you all held up that barrier. And it looks like Tayuya and your leader are the only ones left alive. I'll have to tell Shikamaru and Tenten to capture her."

Ukon had a confused look on his face, but it was soon wiped clean as a clone buried a kunai into his neck. Sakon's fate followed shortly after, and Naruto stood to get to the field. A clone would have to find Shikamaru.

* * *

Shikamaru had figured out Tayuya's game long ago, and with Tenten's expertise in weaponry, things shouldn't be too difficult to kill her. Her massive summons would be a threat, but as long as his shadow or one of Tenten's many blades could reach her it should be over fairly quickly.

"Hey, fuckheads! Even if you kill me, there are people in my group that could still kick your ass!" Tayuya's hidden voice called out. Ah, Shikamaru and Tenten also had to find her.

"And you think we're the strongest of our own group?" Shikamaru asked aloud, trying to keep her talking while Tenten searched the shadows.

"That Hyuga kid? Ha! He likes taijutsu, and Kimimaro would tear him a new asshole in taijutsu if he managed to get by Kidomaru! Or are you talking about that pink bitch? I'm still not even sure how she made chunin she looks so damn weak."

There was a wave of familiar Power that swept over the woods, freezing everyone in place. When it lifted, Shikamaru couldn't help but smile. "You know who that was, right?"

There was no response that time. She knew damn well who it was, it was one of the only people that age she was ordered not to engage alone.

Another minute of avoiding the three large Doki and Shikamaru was getting frustrated. Tenten should have found her by now, or at the very least flushed her out of her hiding place. All of a sudden, Naruto ran into the clearing, cutting one of the ghost-like Doki in half with a stream of his breath.

"Shikamaru! How you doing?" Naruto asked cheerfully.

"Naruto? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be tracking Sasuke?" the shadow user asked.

Naruto flapped a hand nonchalantly. "Eh, I'm just a clone. The real me knows exactly where to go, but I had to activate Sage Mode to track you down quickly. Oh, hi Tenten," Naruto didn't wave in order to allow her to remain hidden. "I'm just here to tell you that the boss said to capture Tayuya alive since everyone else except their leader is dead. She's up there," Naruto pointed behind without looking.

Shikamaru only nodded in appreciation. Yup, with Naruto back, things were bound to get interesting. And very, very troublesome.

* * *

Naruto bolted onto the field that he knew Sasuke to be hidden at. At most he had expected a fight with this 'Leader' that Ukon had talked about, but the field was a bit more… populated than he had expected.

Lee was jumping around, throwing his deadly kicks at a shinobi who seemed to fight with his own _bones. _If that wasn't freaky enough, Lee had the third Gate open and his shots weren't doing too much to the mystery shinobi.

Naruto stood in appreciation for a hot second, it was rare to see two masters of taijutsu fight all out against each other. Lee had access to the gates, but the Sound nin, presumably Kimimaro, had a cursed seal activated.

Lee's head was never in one place, always weaving to avoid lightning fast jabs of a bone sword Naruto knew even he would find challenging. The same could be said for Lee's opponent. Even if Lee didn't have anything strong enough to kill him, the blows that did land were still obviously very painful. Kimimaro weaved just as much as Lee did, and Naruto marveled at the constant motion.

Before Naruto could intervene, Lee was blasted away by what appeared to be a hail of ribs, sharp enough to pierce him and pin him to the ground. Naruto figured he should probably step in.

"Hey Lee, you look like you could use a hand," Naruto called out, getting the attention of both fighters.

"More Konoha trash? How many more of you are there?" The pale, stoic man asked flatly. It was hard to tell if he was taunting them or was genuinely curious.

"Friend Naruto!" Lee shouted before blasting up from the ground, leaving the bones protruding from the dirt after ripping the rest of the way through his body. "It is shoo good to seeing you!"

Oh, gods Lee got drunk. And he has the Gates open.

**"Should we run?" **

All at once the fight seemed to catch up with Lee, and he fell to his knees as the drunken blush left his face. The energy from the gates dissipated, and he knelt still simply trying to breathe through the holes in his chest. And back and stomach and sides.

_"Nah we're fine."_

Naruto held up an old, familiar cross sign, the shortcut for his mass Shadow Clone Jutsu. In the blink of an eye the, field was littered with a hundred clones. Enough to pose a threat by sheer numbers but not enough to the point of chaos ruining any plans made on the fly.

"Adding trash to a pile only allows the blaze to burn brighter," was the calm response of the bone user.

As the clones started to keep Kimimaro busy, Naruto had one dispel to bring Sakura to the location. The clone left with her dispelled upon completion of the Hirashin, leaving Naruto with a gagging Sakura and heavily bleeding Lee.

"Who is it this time?" Sakura asked once she got her gag reflex under control. Naruto simply pointed to Lee, and she got down to work as her teammate transferred his second to last store of chakra to another tag. The last one was probably for Sasuke.

"I'll also need you to distract the bone guy my clones are fighting once Lee can run back to Konoha. I'll free Sasuke while you do."

"No! I can still fight!" Lee interrupted himself by choking a little bit on his own blood.

"I'm the medic, I'll make the call, Lee," Sakura's tone left no room for arguments, and Lee looked more than a little crestfallen.

"Look at it this way, Lee," Naruto started to reassure the green-clad boy as he walked to the forest edge. "You're just giving Sasuke, Sakura and I our first battle as a team in a whole year. There's gotta be something… youthful about that!" Naruto sped off before he could be bombarded with the shouts of the dreaded 'Y' word as well as Sakura's curses for setting Lee off on a tangent.

* * *

Naruto found Sasuke's odd prison within two minutes, enough time for Lee to start his escape and Sakura to absorb the chakra from the tag. Unfortunately, Kimimaro was down to the last dozen clones, all twelve of which had now resorted to using ninjutsu instead of just their fists. They couldn't risk it earlier without taking out some of the other clones.

The biggest thing holding Sasuke out of the waking world was some kind of barrel. It was easily the oddest prison Naruto had ever seen, but definitely one he could break his friend out of. It WAS guarded by fuuinjutsu, after all.

Naruto took one look at the tag on the outside of the barrel, and he noticed it was a relatively simple Dark Sealing Method. It was sloppy as well, and it left several gaps in the Kanji for his chakra to seep into and break.

"Release," Naruto muttered, not even bothering with a half hand seal. Too easy.

The paper slip fell, and immediately sounds originated from within the barrel. The barrel itself was sealed with a multi-member level seal, something that would take at least as many members to infiltrate at the same time. Which would pose a real problem for most…

"Release," Naruto and three clones muttered, freeing the barrel of the restrictive lock. The clones all popped, leaving Naruto alone with his bewildered final teammate.

Sasuke launched the top of the barrel off before stretching violently. He was ready to fight for his life despite how tired and ragged he seemed.

"How the hell did these idiots capture you?" Naruto asked with an amused smile.

Sasuke spun to face the blond, eyes wide and surprisingly devoid of his dojutsu. "Naruto? When did you get back? How long have I been trapped?"

Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke shoulder and started to transfer the chakra seal directly from his arm. "I dunno, maybe an hour. Gai-sensei busted down the Hokage's door to tell her about your capture and I happened to be there. How did it happen again?" Naruto's tone was almost teasing, and it annoyed Sasuke to no end.

"I had just finished my fifth hour of training and was out of chakra. I don't know how they got into the village, either. They must have a mole."

That actually worried Naruto.

"I managed to kill a good six of them, and then Gai showed up to kill off a few more before they got me and he had to chase some into the village. Itachi's gonna be pissed about all the blood in the training yeard… anyways, they managed to pin me, shove some weird pill down my throat, and lock me in that damn box. Four of them seemed like they were in charge, but I could have killed them all if they hadn't caught me with my pants down."

Naruto believed him. He could feel that the one seal wasn't enough to refill Sasuke's reserves entirely, and he would need a second one to top him off. Sakura could probably handle herself for another minute while he scribbled the seal onto his arm.

"Is Sakura safe?" Sasuke asked.

"She's out kicking the leaders' ass. Wanna watch?" Naruto turned and let Sasuke get a view of his girlfriend in action. Naruto would only need about thirty seconds to fill up the seal, and Sakura would make great entertainment while the boys waited.

She was charging in right along with the clones, much to Kimimaro's annoyance. In fact, the first punch he saw coming he simply rolled his eyes and allowed her to cock her arm back. However, when her fist shot forward almost as fast as Lee's he realized his mistake. He realized this even more so when her punch landed and sent him rocketing away with a dislocated jaw. It had been a _long _time since someone had hit him that hard.

Naruto whistled, "She sure has started to pack some power behind her punches."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Yeah, just wait until she asks to spar with you. I can't even block her hits anymore or we have to call it a day. You won't believe how hard she actually hits now."

Naruto had a small flashback to a dark, painful, and very embarrassing cave. "I got a pretty good idea."

Sasuke felt the second hasty seal of chakra flood into him, and he felt his reserves fill almost all the way back up. "Well, we can't let her have all the fun. I take it no one brought my sword?"

Naruto dusted his hands as he shook his head. "Sorry, you'll have to do without."

Sasuke's eyes flashed red before swirling into the exotic pattern of his Eternal Mangekyo. "I have no problem with that."

And the two disappeared from normal view, speeding away to help out their third teammate.

Kimimaro sat up from the grassy crater his body made after receiving that single punch. That seriously could have killed him if his bones weren't strengthened from the level 1 curse mark. He allowed his eyes to unfocus as his jaw reset itself through a series of sickening cracks. When they focused on his opponent again, there were three instead of just one. The pink bitch, the loud clone user, and his target. How unfortunate.

"How are you feeling, Sasuke?" Sakura asked as she cracked the knuckles of her hand.

Sasuke grunted, making Naruto smile. Some things never did change. "I've been better. I've been worse."

Naruto spoke next, eyeing Kimimaro as he stood up across from the trio, "So, Sakura, exactly how strong is this guy?"

Sakura shrugged, "He's pretty tough, but nothing the three of us can't handle. I hit him the hardest I could without opening any of the Gates."

Sasuke rounded on her, "Opening any of the WHAT?"

"Surprise, babe," Sakura's smile was both demure and mischievous,

"You Konoha trash have delayed me for far too long, as well as setting back the progression of Sasuke's curse seal. My master will not be pleased."

Naruto laughed out loud, replying with, "Did Sasuke forget to tell you that he doesn't have a mark anymore? I removed it like, half an hour after he got it!"

Kimimaro would have gotten paler if he could have.

"Stop talking Naruto, I want to go home and clean up the mess before Itachi comes home from his mission," Sasuke groaned before narrowing his eyes at the Sound Elite.

Naruto nodded, fired off a tendril of Malice to freeze the bone user, and had a clone slam a full power Rasengan into his back. The attack hit flush, and Kimimaro was thrown face-first into the dirt as the jutsu drilled into his spine.

Oddly enough, the ball of violently rotating chakra didn't progress past the bone, and the chips that wet flying told Naruto that the trick should have worked. A rib shot out and dispelled the clone, ending the attack.

"The fuck?" Naruto asked as Kimimaro stood up calmly. That should NOT happen.

"Don't worry about it," Sasuke muttered. "Amaterasu!"

The boney opponent was engulfed in black flames, flames that devoured everything it touched without fail. Unfortunately, the screams only lasted for a split second, as did the flailing associated with being burned alive by fire straight from hell.

Kimimaro _molted_. He looked like a sick crab walking forward out of an old exoskeleton, the suit of pure bone burning to ash around him.

"The fuck?" Sasuke asked in a comic mirroring of Naruto.

Sakura bent over, picked up a small pebble, and hurled it with all her strength. Kimimaru looked actually bored as he deflected the tiny projectile with a bony protrusion on his hand.

"The fuck?" Sakura's version didn't fit quite as well, and her teammates looked at her in confusion.

**"She didn't actually expect that to work, did she?" **Kurama's voice was almost concerned.

_"For the sake of all of our lives in the future, I sure as hell hope not. She's not nearly that useless!"_

Upon seeing the worried expressions of the boys, Sakura simply shrugged and said, "What? Shizune says comedy works best in threes."

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose and gazed up into the heavens for answers.

Sasuke only sighed and muttered, "You're lucky you're cute."

Kimimaro, who heard nothing of the conversation, spoke up next. "I see you are truly garbage set aside from the rest of your village. I understand now that I will have to take you more seriously."

The trademark black marks adorned his body then, ascending the power and influence of the curse mark to its level 2 state. Kimimaro shifted from his somewhat normal appearance to a darker-colored, twisted bone monstrosity. He maintained basic anatomy, but extra bone jutted out from places that there should be no bones, and he pulled bones from himself to use as weapons.

"Behold the power Lord Orochimaru has bestowed upon me. Behold the bringer of your death, see me and fall to despair as you will fall to the bone of my blades!"

Naruto scratched his head at the loud proclamation. "You know, that could have been really badass if it was just one of us facing him."

Sasuke nodded as if to agree. "You think you're the only one here with transformations or power-ups?"

Taking that as a signal, Sakura opened the first gate. Sasuke followed her lead and manifested the ethereal skeletal head of his Susanoo. In between the two of them, Naruto called upon Kurama's perfect cloak, wreathing himself in the golden shroud of pure power.

"I'm liking the gold, Naruto. Really suits you," Sakura complimented. As she finished, the four took off from their respective positions, meeting in the middle of the once serene meadow to clash.

* * *

Kimimaro was hard pressed to stay alive. Very, very hard pressed. These three fought together better than the Sound Four did, and these three were infinitely more powerful. Sakura had hit him extremely hard in the side, shattering several of his ribs. As he was flying through the air, Naruto had sliced at him with manifested claws of chakra, destroying the protective layer of bone on the arm he used to block. Just as his ribs were replaced, Sasuke slammed a Chidori into his chest while protecting his own body with parts of some massive ghost skeleton. These teenagers had no idea how to give him a breather.

That's not to say Kimimaru didn't do his best to give as good as he got. Naruto and Sasuke took most of the blows, using their bodies to protect their teammate from his deadly bones. His spine was in one hand in the form as a whip, and a sharpened humorous was in the other as a sick type of sword. The sword had the best chances of slipping between the 'Susanoo's' ribs while the whip could temporarily immobilize the jinchuriki.

The four fought in a blur of speed and power, chunks of the earth flying whenever Sakura landed one of her punches. Blinding light appeared every time Sasuke tried Chidori, not willing to use a fire jutsu with his team so close to the target. Nine powerful, glowing hands/claws would whip around Naruto, destroying anything they slammed into while avoiding both Sasuke and Sakura.

By this point, Sakura had released the Hundred Healings seal on her forehead, covering her face in markings and opened the second gate without fear of injury. She was taking just as many slices and whip strikes as her teammates now, but no matter what they hit this boney fucker with he wouldn't seem to die.

Suddenly, the blade slipped through Susanoo's ribs, and the whip cut too deeply into Naruto's calf for them to escape. The three members of Team 7 locked eyes and passed a silent signal. The depths of their team's connection was difficult to understand, but in rare moments like these, they doubted they'd find a closer-knit team.

Sasuke slammed one of his modified Chidori strikes into the crook of Kimimaro's left elbow. The blow sent electricity coursing through the Oto nin and stunned the left side of his body.

At the same time, Naruto lashed out with a massive burst of cutting wind chakra, the most any of those involved had ever seen. The bone whip held up incredibly well considering the breath of air left a deep, clean cut into the dirt and rock dozens of feet deep. In the end, it snapped in half and released Naruto's leg. Now freed, Naruto sped forward and threw the strongest Rasengan he could manage directly at the throat of Kimimaro, the least protected target, at the same time Sasuke's Chidori landed.

Seeing her opening, Sakura drew her fist back into the same powerful punch that blasted a hole through Jirobi. In a split second, her knuckles shattered against the bone of Kimimaro's stomach before instantaneously healing themselves. They did their intended damage, though, and the energy dispersed into Kimimaro.

The impact knocked him to the far side of the field, leaving the three members of Team 7 sweating with both their exertion and hesitation to continue the fight. He should very well already be dead.

To their dismay, the Oto shinobi slowly and shakily rose from the dirt. The beautiful, grassy meadow they were once at was no longer grassy at all. Rocks and dirt were strewn about from the battle, and it wasn't over yet.

"How much more do we have to hit this guy with?" Naruto asked in awe. This was easily the most resilient opponent he had ever faced.

Kimimaro was about to respond with some derogatory phrase, but the only thing to spew from his mouth was dark blood.

Upon closer inspection, one could see the damage that would do in the bone user. His throat was absolutely ravaged, flaps of skin and flesh flapping in the light wind. A layer of bone closed off his throat from the elements. His upper left side was hanging limp, most of the nerves completely fried from the extreme voltage pumped into him.

The biggest issue, though, was that the energy and power from Sakura's punch had nowhere to escape. It couldn't fire out his back like with Jirobi, and this time she had an extra gate open. All of that raw power transitioning straight into his organs… the world was fading for Orochimaru's second choice of body.

There was always one move he could use upon death, and by Kami would he take these brats with him. He fell into a chasm of his own making, using the very last of his strength to complete his ultimate technique. "_Dance… of the Fern…"_

Above ground, the three members of team 7 stood ready for him to emerge anywhere, but all were startled when they felt a small rumble. Sakura, however, smiled and told the boys, "You guys are gonna wanna jump for this."

Knowing what she was capable of and caring for their personal health, Naruto and Sasuke obeyed, jumping as high as they could.

Sakura, still under the effects of the Hundred Healing Technique, opened the third gate. It was something she had just started to work on and was nowhere near ready for use without the seal active, but the single minute of power she gained from it would be all she needed.

With her arms stretched up and in a hammer-fist like position, both boys heard her yell of, "Gate of Healing! OPEN!" as her hands descended.

Just as the burst of power erupted from her, the meadow began to burst into towering blades of bone. The bones started in the last place Kimimaru was seen, but would fill the meadow in less than a few seconds. Sakura's fists met the hard ground a split second before she was overtaken.

The shockwave was almost unbelievable. The ground immediately cratered beneath her, and she was suddenly staring at the lip of the depression at eye level. The power that spread like a ring around her flattened both earth and bone, a fifty-foot circle of sunken dirt around her surrounded by cracked bones that withstood the blast. Shards of the white material littered the ground around her.

Sasuke and Naruto were sent careening even higher from the 'explosion'. Although neither would admit it, they both screamed more than a little. Eventually, Naruto grabbed hold of Sasuke's arm and used Hirashin on the kunai with Sakura, bringing the boys safely to the ground.

Sakura's aura of power vanished, and she fell to her knees exhausted. Sasuke remained in the dirt crater, gagging from his first Hirashin and doing his best to maintain his lunch. Naruto looked at Sakura with more than a little irritation added to his satisfaction.

"A little warning next time, maybe?" he asked her.

"Hey," she panted and then laid down, "it worked didn't it?"

Naruto simply scoffed. Since he was the only one left that was fighting fit he absorbed one of his Senjutsu seals, entering sage mode to try and feel out if Kimimaru was still alive.

"I don't feel him, guys. I think we did it," Naruto smiled.

Before he could celebrate, however, he was forced to add, "Hang on. I'm picking up on someone I _really _shouldn't be right now."

His teammates looked up from the dirt in worry.

"Hmm, very good, Naruto! I'm quite pleased with your progress…" an oily voice called out from the top of one of the splintered bone spires.

"Great, the fucking pedophile is here," Naruto spat, motioning to his teammates to stay down.

"You're still convinced about that are you? It won't matter too much once you're dead, or better yet on my side…"

"Naruto, let us help you," Sasuke asked lowly.

"It's okay guys! I feel someone else too, someone I'm MORE than happy to see right now!" Naruto assured everyone. His team relaxed into the dirt while the present Sannin quirked an eyebrow.

"And who would that be, little Naruto? It's been a long time since I've been followed without my knowledge—"

A crow flapped onto another one spire. "Tsk, you've made many mistakes, Orochimaru."

The Sannin looked nervous for a split second. "Itachi," his face returned to the smirk it was seemingly fixed on. "It's been a long while."

Sasuke stirred from his position in the dirt. "Guys, this was Itachi's mission. Find and trail Orochimaru… I had no idea. I have to get home NOW!"

"Why?" Sakura asked lowly.

"I have to clean up before he returns from the mission or I'll get my ass kicked!"

He then on went ignored.

"Why, whatever do you mean Itachi?" Orochimaru asked.

The crow hopped to look directly at the Sannin. "You went after my baby brother."

"That's fucking adorable," Naruto muttered under his breath.

"Fuck off," was Sasuke's response.

Orochimaru laughed in the face of the crow. "Silly Itachi! Did you think I wouldn't improve myself after our last encounter? Snake eyes see more than just light and colors. Genjutsu won't work on me anymore!"

The crow made a barking sound, almost mistakable for a bird's version of a laugh. "Silly Orochimaru. You're in a genjutsu right now."

**"Holy fuck he's right! He's good."**

That was high praise coming from Kurama.

Orochimaru scowled before breaking the surrounding genjutsu, freeing everyone in it. They were all in their respective positions, but the crow was gone and Orochimaru was slumped on the ground. The Sannin sprung to his feet in anger.

"Perfect!" Naruto yelled out, getting everyone's attention. "I'm still I Sage mode, and I've wanted to try this out ever since I got it."

**"Oh, hell yes!"**

Naruto sped through the summoning signs, one of the Senjutsu seals traveling to the large array on his back. Naruto slammed his hand down, a massive cloud of smoke rising as a deep, powerful roar split the air.

Kurama stood protectively over an awestruck Sasuke and Sakura, with Naruto standing firmly on his head. All nine of his powerful tails swished through the air behind him, knocking down towers of bone as if they were made of cardboard. He was the picture of power at its peak.

Orochimaru looked once at the towering Kurama, and then to the rapidly emerging Itachi. Then back to Kurama.

"Well, I seem to have forgotten to turn off my lights at home. I'll see you all later."

And the snake was gone, having swan dove into the ground and melding away before Itachi could act.

Kurama was more than a bit disappointed. **"Wow. What a fucking pussy."**

* * *

**Yeah, this one was a doozy. So! I'll just clear a few things up here for you lovely readers.**

**My version of Kimimaro wasn't sick. If he seems too strong here, keep that in mind.**

**The Sound four really were more of special lackeys or semi-successful experiments to Orochimaru (Kimimaru being the exception) so he really isn't all that devastated at their loss.**

**Yes, I did cut out a few fights here, mostly because Naruto wasn't there to either witness or take part in them. If anyone would like to read my take on how those fights would have gone, (Neji, Shikamaru/Tenten, Lee) Let me know and I'll find some time to type it up as a separate one-shot!**

**As always, thanks for stopping by guys. Let me know how you think this went!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about this awful delay you guys. Finals week has mixed in with gradually moving back home and I'm all sorts of a mess. Anywho, here's a little transition chapter before we get into the good, meaty slaughter we're all waiting for!**

**Just to be clear that's good meaty slaughter that I own in no way shape or** **form **

* * *

Sasuke beat everyone back to the village by almost a full twenty minutes, leaving his teammates no warning about his rapid departure. If Itachi had been listening in on any of the conversations, (which was very well possible since it's Itachi freaking Uchiha) then he would already know of the situation at home.

As it was, Itachi was going to try and track down his target before heading back to report, so Naruto figured Sasuke would have some time. Naruto had to check in with Tsunade before he could head home, and seeing the girls and Zabuza was something he was really looking forward to.

Sakura walked along with Naruto on their trip home, enjoying the company that had been missing from the village for a year. He seemed more… at ease now. Like he was almost detached from everything, yet still invested completely in the world around him. It made no sense, but Sakura got the feeling that he had grown more in the year away than he would have in five years in the village.

Naruto was content simply walking with Sakura. She had several stories about her and Sasuke, some of them making him laugh aloud. She told him of the fun she has at the Girl's Nights Karin and Haku have every Sunday. There were even a few stories of how Itachi would watch her and Sasuke like a protective mother whenever the elder Uchiha was home and not training.

Overall it was as if nothing but time had changed between the two. Naruto was also taller than her now, but that was forgotten pretty quickly once the conversation turned to her training. The stories she had about _that _particular subject were pretty vast. The hour and a half long stroll was filled mainly by Sakura's complaints of how ridiculous her tasks usually were. She had picked up a side job at the hospital to combine with her medical training, and she insisted that both of them combined were nothing compared to the demands both Guy-sensei and Lee made of her. Naruto understood that statement wholeheartedly. Those two green freaks were crazy when it came to training.

Before Sakura could get around to asking Naruto of his own training and time away the village gates came into view. Naruto had to promise that they could all get together soon and have a real conversation over the past year, maybe over dinner or something. With that reassurance, the two parted ways at the gates: Naruto to get to the Hokage and Sakura to get home and tell her parents she was fine.

Naruto was told by Shizune to wait in one of the chairs for Tsunade to return. Apparently, she had gone to see Tayuya herself and was just now getting back to the office. Naruto couldn't help but wince at the fate of the girl. Tsunade could be _scary_.

"Why do I have the urge to smack you right now?" the woman in Naruto's thoughts asked as she entered.

Naruto laughed nervously, "Ah! Haha, no reason probably. I did well enough for an on the fly mission so why hospitalize me, right?"

Tsunade sighed as she sat down. She looked fed up with everything that had happened, and Naruto honestly didn't blame her. "It went exceptionally well considering the circumstances. We just have to figure out how to get Tayuya to talk and all should be well enough. No one was hurt too seriously, although Neji and Akamaru had some close calls they're set for full recoveries."

Naruto visibly relaxed when he heard that. "How would I go about recommending people for field promotions?" Naruto asked suddenly.

"Give me their name and your reasoning and I'll add it to the listings. They'll need another officer's recommendation before I consider it though."

"Kiba Izunuka. His teamwork and strategy with his ninken helped him hold off a pair of jonin. His partner received injuries near the end of the fight, but they were successful in delaying and getting information from the enemy before my arrival. Tenten Higurashi. She showed exceptional stealth and tracking skills for the short amount of time I was able to sense her, and clone memories of her show her adding valuable input into solid strategies and reliably completing her own parts of any given plan."

Tsunade nodded as she scribbled down the names. "Is that all?" she asked once.

Naruto nodded but jumped a bit when Itachi walked in the now-repaired door. "Lady Hokage, I second both of those recommendations. I had crows watching the entirety of the woods and was close to intervening before Naruto arrived."

Tsunade smiled, put a check next to each of the names, and slid the paper to the middle of a stack. "Perfect. Naruto, If you'd finish up your report please?"

Naruto would normally have to file a written report, but since this wasn't an official mission he could get away with an oral version. After a quick recount of the day's events, Tsunade nodded in approval.

"You did well, Naruto. I'll be sure to assign more missions specifically to you, and you should be a full jonin by the end of the year," Tsunade then shifted before looking to Itachi. "Before I move on to your report, Itachi, I have to pass along an important message to the both of you. Tomorrow will be our first major Council meeting, and now that both of you are back there couldn't be a better time. Take today to do as you like, but please report to the main briefing room tomorrow at ten a.m. sharp. Naruto, you are dismissed."

Naruto didn't need any more coaxing and he left immediately, eager to see the rebuilt compound.

* * *

Karin sat at the rounded desk of the Uzumaki administration building trying her best to keep herself entertained. Days here went by slowly, but she did get the occasional visitor. Sometimes they came with official business or other nonsense she told them to ask Naruto, but days like today she would get lucky. Ino had come over to keep her company.

"I don't know how you live in this room for most of the day," Ino complained while leaning against the desk. "At least at my counter, there are flowers to keep me company."

Karin snorted at the thought, "Ino, only you would consider flowers company."

Ino blew a raspberry at her redheaded friend. Changing gears, she asked, "So what's the plan for this Sunday?"

"I was thinking maybe sushi and other seafood for dinner. Naruto should be back by then so I don't want to risk ramen."

Both girls giggled at the thought of Naruto storming in on their girls' night, raiding the kitchen for any and all ramen. Fantasy it may be, but it could very easily become a reality.

"We talking about ramen in here?" a new voice spoke up.

Both girls spun around, and they saw him at about the same time. Naruto sat draped across a chair, one leg dangling over an armrest. How he got in past a pair of kunoichi, one of which was a sensor, was unknown.

Before Ino could say anything, she had to restrain a laugh as she saw a red bullet shoot into the blond's chest. If not for the wall, that poor chair certainly would have tipped over.

"Naruto, you're home!" Karin shouted, her voice muffled by Naruto's chest.

"And what a home you've made it, Karin," Naruto replied warmly.

Ino was slightly taken aback at his response. Was this really Naruto? That was actually kind, and thoughtful, and nowhere near as awkward as an entrance, she was expecting. Ino watched as he stood up, dragging her friend along with him, and finally met his gaze.

"Well," Naruto held open an arm while keeping the other wrapped firmly around his cousin, "would you like one too, Ino?"

Did she? He _was _her friend and she _was _happy to see him again, but would that be giving off the wrong kind of message? She was definitely over him; all that drama had happened over a year ago for Kami's sake! But seeing him now… confident, still handsome…

"Yes she does," Karin answered, giving Ino no way out of the situation. The redhead pulled Ino into the embrace, and the three shared a quick hug in reunion. It was definitely nice to hug him, and the guilt was almost nonexistent.

"So, are you going to show me around or do I have to figure things out myself?" Naruto asked with a smile, looking down at Karin as he did so. Said girl immediately grabbed his wrist and started dragging him around, leaving Ino alone to contemplate her thoughts once more.

* * *

Naruto was impressed with how much had been finished in the last year. The list of buildings was fairly small, but they were the important ones. The administration building, Zabuza's private dojo and training field, a public set, a pair of residential houses for the three members of the Clan aside from Naruto, and the Clan Head's Manor. It was quite a bit bigger than Naruto was accustomed to at three stories, but he supposed that Hinata would like it.

Yeah, he still thought of his future as one where Hinata was present. It wasn't weird at all, just… hopeful. It didn't matter that no one had seen her in the past year, Naruto would find her. Nothing would change that.

"So what do you think?" Karin asked nervously.

"Uh, what?" Naruto blinked himself back o reality, startled by the sudden question.

"Of your new house, silly," Karin rolled her eyes at the goofy blond.

Naruto avoided her stare and asked, "Would you run by it again, I was distracted."

_'Please say by me.' _"Well, you can see it has three stories. The first floor has your kitchen, dining and living rooms, as well as a bathroom. The second floor has three bedrooms and a bathroom,. The top floor has the master bedroom, connected bathroom, an office, and a few extra closets"

Naruto gave her a confused look, "Who could ever need that much space?"

"Well, a Clan Head. One with a wife and kids. Or a few," Karin said matter-of-factly.

"Few kids?" Naruto confirmed.

Karin started to tug him along towards Zabuza's, "Uh, yeah! Kids. Of course."

* * *

Naruto's meeting with Zabuza hadn't been much more than that; a meeting. There weren't any overly kind words from the ex-mist nin, and Naruto soon left him to train up the few students he had with him. Exactly what Naruto had expected if he was being honest. Haku had unfortunately been away on a mission, but she was due back by the weekend.

After he had managed to say to goodbye to Karin (and escape) Naruto made his way to Sasuke's place. Sakura found him earlier and had wanted to meet up there when they all had the time, and since Naruto had more people to stop by he figured she was already there. Hopefully, he wouldn't interrupt anything.

The entirety of the Uchiha district still seemed cold and lifeless, but the house that Sasuke and Itachi occupied retained a bit of life. Still, Naruto couldn't help but feel the pain that still bled from the streets as he made his way to his friends' house.

**"It is the pain of betrayal, Naruto. No matter which side you view that night from, someone was always getting betrayed. My father used to warn us about these dark emotions. 'The pain and thirst of loss can never be quenched by the blood of your family.' The Uchiha and their pride are a perfect example of this."**

_"Sometimes I forget that you're thousands of years old you know that? Sometimes I also think that our time with the toads is affecting you more than me."_

**"I'm going to choose to simply accept that compliment."**

Naruto cut their banter short by knocking on Sasuke's door. Kurama didn't always break silences like that, but whenever he does it's usually for some sage-like reason. The last year was absolutely full of it.

The door opened and Itachi was the one looking at Naruto. "Naruto, hello. I must give you my thanks for rescuing my brother. In fact, if Orochimaru hadn't jumped in or I had known about your… new relationship with the Kyuubi I could have likely kept my cover."

Naruto bowed awkwardly, trying his best to brush off the compliment while still accepting it. It wouldn't do to get a big head.

"Your team is waiting for you in the living space. Feel free to help yourself to the pantry, I have to go and prepare for tomorrow's meeting."

With that, the tall Uchiha left, sweeping past Naruto in a controlled stride. That was an almost surreal encounter. Itachi had become a kind of living legend within the Elemental Nations, the only real S-Ranked threat in the active Konoha force aside from the Sannin. Not to mention he was 'the most eligible bachelor in twenty years.' Naruto didn't want to know how one got such a title.

"Naruto! We've been waiting for you!" Sakura called out as soon as Naruto stepped inside the door. She was sitting back to back with a dozing Sasuke, doing her best to elbow him awake. Yeah, he had a pretty good reason to be tired after today.

"You guys start the 'meeting' without me?" Naruto joked.

Kakashi looked up from his orange book and grunted, confused as to the changing situation. Apparently, Naruto had shown up between now and the last fifteen minutes. Sakura's urging to wake Sasuke got a bit too enthusiastic, and the dark haired Uchiha slumped over. His shoulder smacked the wood of his floor before he jolted awake, scrambling to sit back up with a bit of dignity.

"Actually, it's nice to know not much has changed," Naruto laughed aloud as he took a seat next to his teammates. This was honestly something he had missed the most; these team meet-ups.

"Speaking of change," Sasuke muttered as he righted himself on the floor, "How did the last year treat you?"

Naruto smiled wistfully as he thought back, likely looking like an old man remembering his glory days. In reality, he was remembering how often he had his ass handed to him over the last year.

"Well, my Sage Mode is better is a lot better now. I can summon Kurama at various tails, and I'm working on modifying the Rasengan. Aside from that I did a _lot _of sparring with Sages that absolutely kicked my ass most days. How about you guys?"

All three other people in the room stared blankly at the blond, each for a different reason in the stories of the last year.

_'He's going to finish sensei's Jutsu? Even I failed at that…'_

_'Who the hell could hand Naruto his ass? Last time we sparred it was like fighting a blond version of my brother!'_

_'WHEN THE HELL WAS SUMMONING BIJU A THING?'_

Kakashi cleared his throat, catching his students' attention. "Well, I for one got a lot of reading done during my long-term mission. We never did find our targets, but Itachi had much better luck than we did by the sounds of things."

"Isn't that the same book and/or series you've been reading since we've met?" Sakura asked with a disapproving look.

"Art doesn't expire," the team leader defended himself.

"Well, I have been working my butt off, and not just with reading," Sakura pointed. "Tsunade-sensei taught me a lot, and I have her Seal of a Hundred Healings mastered. And on top of that, I asked Lee to teach me about the Gates. Of course, he brought Guy-sensei into it and I'm exhausted all the time, but I can open three of the gates now. Oh, and I made Chunin."

Naruto knew most of this already, having seen it in action. Hearing it aloud though was a sobering experience, and Kakashi looked more than pleased with his pink-haired pupil. Sakura had probably grown the most of the three of them, and she had a reason to be proud of herself.

"I'm getting better and better with my sword every time I see Zabuza. I'm training under my brother as well, and I've gotten a lot stronger even without my evolved Sharingan. I've mastered most of my family's signature genjutsu, and now I'm working on alternate forms of the Chidori."

Sasuke finished by showing off one of his Chidori variations; a long sword like lightning blade extending from his chirping hand. Naruto thought that the last Chidori used on Kimimaro had been a bit different, but he was understandably too distracted to take total notice.

"I'm still awesome and still your senior. 'Nuff said," Kakashi offered after heavy prompting.

"Come on, Sensei! Give us more than that," Sakura urged.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders as he leaned forward. "I spent most of the last year hunting targets you all know of. You kids had a much more exciting time than I did." This seemed to satisfy the youngest ones in the room. "I am _very _proud of all of you and your progress, though."

And like that, the mood lifted even higher and smiles were skillfully hidden from view. There was always something special about getting praise from someone who's taught you. Someone who you look up to. Especially when that someone is Kakashi.

"Yeah, well I bet we could take you on now," Naruto asserted after regaining his composure.

Kakashi chuckled and held up a hand to stop the confirmations he knew were coming. "Usually I'd love to test all your growth personally, but we have a war to prepare for. Can't be wasting too much energy now. In fact, I think the first war meeting is tomorrow."

Naruto groaned aloud when he was reminded of that.

"Speaking of tomorrow," Sasuke started, "I think I'll sleep until it starts. I'm exhausted."

"Go ahead and head to bed, Sasuke," Kakashi granted as he stood. He was followed by all of his students.

"Since he actually wants to sleep, Sakura you probably shouldn't follow him," Naruto joked as the three guests made their way for the door.

**"Idiot."**

_"What?"_

Naruto saw Kakashi open the door, and suddenly he was flying out of it, his head throbbing with more pain than usual.

Sakura stood with her fist outstretched, eye twitching, and saying, "It's a good thing that door was open."

Kakashi just shook his head as he left to the sound of Sasuke grunting in his form of agreement. He never had a dull moment around his team, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Naruto stood outside of the door leading to the meeting room. Conference room. War room? It didn't really matter. It was too early to bother Kurama with being awake and actively partaking in anything, so Naruto was going in solo. Kakashi had told him how things would probably go and what he should bring, so Naruto had at least a little bit of confidence going into this.

Naruto was the most recent addition to the council, and by proxy of showing respect, his first appearance should be with him being the last beside the Hokage to arrive. Kakashi had explained that this was usually so every other clan could see him enter the room and read his body; to try and get a feel for what kind of Clan Head he would be. No problem. He could _usually_ walk into a room without making a fool of himself.

Naruto was also sitting in his mother's seat instead of his father's, one of the oldest seats in the village. The Uzumaki name carried a lot more weight than Namikaze did throughout history. In fact, Minato had been the one to found a seat on the council for his name when he became Hokage. That being said, Naruto would have some high expectations to live up to. He would make the Uzumaki clan proud. He would make his parents proud.

Naruto stood up straighter and opened the door. As his foot passed the threshold of the room, all polite muttering stopped as eyes were trained on him. Nothing more than Naruto had expected, but still a little off-putting. Naruto calmly walked to his designated spot while looking for the few people he both knew and was supposed to acknowledge.

Inoichi had pledged himself to Naruto long before anyone thought he was the best thing since ramen. He was the first person Naruto offered a small nod to. The blond man returned it with polite surprise.

Next up the table was Asuma taking the place of his father. He was smoking while lazily following Naruto with his eyes, and he returned Naruto's small nod with his own. It was well known that Hiruzen had a soft spot for the blond, so Naruto had no problems making the connection with his son. And that was never minding the fact that Asuma had helped him figure out his chakra claws.

Up near the head of the table was Itachi, sitting just behind the Hyuga seat. Naruto was surprised when Itachi nodded first, but he didn't show it and returned the gesture. Sasuke was likely the reason Itachi held Naruto in such regard.

Sitting in the highest occupied seat of Clan Heads, just before the three Council Elders, was Hiashi Hyuga. Naruto didn't give him a nod, there was no real binding tie between them until Hinata was returned. Instead, the two shared a look. It was full of understanding and determination, and both knew that their interests were the same. Hinata would be found, safe and healthy.

Naruto pulled out his seat in the silence of the room, and then turned to the Council elders and bowed slightly before sitting down. Naruto laid out the few notes and documents he had prepared and sighed in relief when he heard the voices start once more. Not the one in his head, Kurama was still being a lazy ass, but the ones at the table.

It was a really good first impression if what Kakashi had told him was anything to go by. Naruto took note of all the empty civilian council chairs on the opposite side of the table and then decided to study the order the Clans were arranged in. Clans with more influence, political or otherwise, were seated closest to the Hokage.

The Hokage sat at the head of the table, of course. Following her was the three Elders; Danzo, Homura, and Koharu. While not actually clan seats they counted as the first three chairs since they carried the most political weight aside from the Hokage.

The highest actual Clan seat (but technically still chair number four) belonged to the Senju, which made sense as they were the founders and the family of the first two Hokage. Positions five and six belonged to the Hyuga and the Uchiha respectively, and (up until the Massacre) Naruto knew that the seats often switched.

Seventh was the Sarutobi clan, who had a significant jump up the rankings since Hiruzen became Hokage. Naruto wasn't sure if Asuma had always sat the chair or if his father had picked another representative, but everyone seemed surprised to see the chain smoker present.

In the eighth chair sat the Aburame clan head. Naruto didn't know him personally, but he was aware that he was Shino's father. A quick check of one of his notes told Naruto that his name was… Shipi? That didn't sound right… Shibi! Wow, he had to start taking better notes. Sakura could probably help. That wasn't the only place he had to cram things on a page due to poor planning. Apparently, the Aburame single-handedly wiped out a rival clan in the last war, earning them a bit of a political boost despite the social barriers they were known for.

Ironically Naruto was seated ninth at the table, something he thought Kurama would enjoy. Was it pure symbolism that put the Uzumaki, the literal guardians of the Kyuubi, here? Or maybe honor to the past favors and deeds?

The next three seats were interchangeable between the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. They made a large impact in the past with their teamwork, and they cared little for their actual positions since everyone gave them the respect they each felt was deserved.

The Inuzuka made up the thirteenth slot, and the last two seats were unoccupied. Number fourteen belonged to Guy-sensei, but he was stationed elsewhere for the meeting. The last chair was his father's and would be the first to be replaced if another clan found themselves deserving a spot on the council of fifteen.

The door opposite the one Naruto entered was opened, and a line of well-dressed businessmen and women streamed in. They were the fifteen most powerful (richest) civilians in Konoha, and they liked to annoy the Hokage during times like these. Naruto was sure they saw it as something important, but no one was really fooled.

Naruto spent the time waiting for the civilians to find their seats pretending to read over his papers. There was no one to talk to with an anti-social Aburame to his left and the bored Shikaku to his right. That must be where Shikamaru gets it from.

Eventually, a third door opened, one behind the Hokage's seat. Jiraiya was the first to emerge, followed by Kakashi and Guy. They were the three top jonin in the village, present to act as peacekeepers in case the council became agitated. They were actually just for showing off to the civilian side, everyone knew that there were ANBU ready to kill everyone in the room. Probably.

Naruto stood with the rest of the thirty-person table as Tsunade entered wearing her full robes and hat, the first time Naruto had seen her do so. She looked like a true symbol of pride and strength, fitting for 'The Strongest Kunoichi in the Elemental Nations'.

When Tsunade sat and removed her hat the table followed suit. Her three jonin of choice remained standing behind her, seemingly alert for any stirs in the room. Well, Guy was. Kakashi's one visible eye seemed to struggle to stay open and focused while both of Jiraiya's were roaming the chests of every woman in the room.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first War Council in over twenty years," Tsunade started off. She had the total attention of every person in the room.

"As many of you already know, we are at war with Iwa, Kumo, the majority of Mist, and whatever minor country villages decide to join their cause. Hostilities arose due to one of our three major enemies abducting a young girl the last public chunin exams and killing or injuring others during their escape."

Everyone could feel a small spike of anger come from two distinct points in the room, and both Naruto and Hiashi refused to care.

"Instead of ratting out one another or confessing, each village became more and more belligerent and disrespectful in dismissing the claims. Eventually, they declared war on Konoha. Suna stands at our back, as does Grass and Waterfall."

A few mutters went through the seated assembly, but they quickly silenced themselves.

"We are here today to discuss our course of action, key positions for the duration of this war, as well as to handle any concerns or questions. We shall also decide on an adequate opening few missions to send teams on before we get too many full squads sent into the field."

A collective weary sigh escaped the shinobi side of the council. The questions and concerns portion would drag on forever as usual, and it's always by the civilian council.

Tsunade cleared her throat and was handed a paper by Jiraiya. "The first order of business shall be the assignment of roles. Many of these assignments will be unchanged from the last time we went to war, and I am grateful that we have such experience available to us."

Many of the civilians leaned forward in their seats, hoping to be chosen for one spot or another. Naruto found it kind of sad really.

"My lead General and strategist will be Shikaku Nara. I'm positive your performance will do your Clan as proud as your previous one."

Shikaku stood and bowed to the Hokage before retaking his seat. It was of no real surprise; the man was a tactical genius. That must also be where Shikamaru gets _that _from.

"Jiraiya will remain the Spy Master and lead infiltrator. In conjunction with this, Inoichi Yamanaka will remain the head of intelligence and communication."

Inoichi bowed while Jiraiya simply inclined his head.

"I am placing the Hyuga in charge of guarding the borders. I will leave the decision on how many to dedicate to our border safety and how many to give to our fighting force on you, Hiashi."

The pale-eyed man gave his own flowing bow.

"I am placing Konoha's financial affairs in the hands of Mebuki Haruno, Mino Wazashi…"

Naruto honestly stopped listening after the list turned into the civilian side of things. He was pretty sure most of the last positions were to keep the merchants happy with pointless titles. The only position of importance was the first one regarding the war's funding, and Naruto only recognized Sakura's mother and the owner of the bank from the names listed. What the hell were they doing handing out jobs for a 'home care and cleaning committee' anyway?

"With that out of the way, we can get into the statistical side of this war. Our last reported census places our total forces around the 15,000 mark. Of that number, 8,000 are genin, 5,000 are chunin, and 2,000 are jonin."

Naruto saw Shikaku write those numbers down on a pad of paper.

"Jiraiya has reported the number for Kumo and Iwa to be around 20,000 and 18,000 respectively. They both have more shinobi than us, but we hold our standards higher. Our brave shinobi are worth five of each of theirs."

Naruto could appreciate the little bit of pep talk, but the hard numbers still made him uncomfortable. Apparently, Shikaku shared his thoughts. The man made small sounds of displeasure as he wrote down notes and numbers.

"Suna can offer 11,000 shinobi to the fight, with Grass and Waterfall combining for another 9,000. We do not know for sure the allies of our enemies, so we cannot account for their numbers."

"What of Mist, Lady Tsunade?" Itachi asked, his head tilted in curiosity.

"We do not know how much of the country has started to follow my former teammate," Tsunade's brow furrowed in frustration at the thought. "Sound alone invaded us with an estimated 6,000 troops. We killed and captured almost half of them, so it would be safe to assume that in the last year their numbers have grown back to around 4,000. We should assume with the addition of Mist our opposition doubles that number."

Naruto heard a huff and more scratches from Shikaku. That poor man.

"Now, our main focus should be on Kumo, Mist, and any of their allies. We can trust Suna and our allies to guard our rear from Iwa, and we can either hold off or eliminate our threats. Further deliberation with my strategist is needed to cement a plan into place."

Mutters ran through the room as the words left her mouth, and Naruto watched silently as she silenced the room in a… creative way. Her hand rose, and her fingers indicated she wanted Jiraiya to approach her.

As soon as Naruto's first sensei was close enough, her hand wrapped around Jiraiya's jaw. Hard. Naruto smiled as he saw a fear widen in his perverted role model's eyes, and Tsunade threw him forward.

The Sannin screamed as he flew down the table, the sound getting louder until it passed Naruto and quickly fading as the flying man went past, and the room was shocked into silence. The far wall held no resistance to the large 'projectile' and a hole into the hallway was created. Everyone knew then how hard their Hokage threw one of her oldest friends.

_"Well, that's one way to use your top jonin to silence the table…"_

"Now, are there any suggestions on preliminary missions, possible teams for the missions, or anything you wish to discuss with me or the rest of the council?" Tsunade asked, her voice unchanged from the last time she spoke.

"We should send a team to Amegakure to try and secure their allegiance," one of the civilians suggested.

Literally every one of the present shinobi had to fight a visible reaction. Did… did a civilian just offer a _good idea_?

Tsunade recovered quickly and answered, "I will have a diplomatic team sent to Ame, thank you for the suggestion."

Soft mutters went through the crowd as people tried to come up with their own ideas. Tsunade leaned in to listen to her advisors. Naruto decided that this was as good a time as any. Time to make an impression.

Naruto ruffled his papers, smacked the bottom of the stack on the table to neaten them up, and cleared his throat to get the room's attention.

"Lady Tsunade, if I may?" he asked. He was still the new kid on the block, literally the youngest person in attendance, so he was showing as much respect as he could.

"Of course, Naruto. Anyone seated in the Uzumaki's chair doesn't need to ask to have their voice heard," was her response.

Naruto smiled in thanks, for both the personal reassurance in the new environment and the political backing her words held. The Senju and the Uzumaki were distantly related, and in the past, his family had done great things for Leaf. Tsunade wanted everyone to know that she would treat Naruto like a true Uzumaki, despite his name only recently being validated.

"I have a few points, actually. Most of the reasons that smaller hidden villages turn on us are because war between the major countries destroys their lives. In order to avoid this, I suggest we inform the residents of Northern Tea country to evacuate. I suggest we do the same for those in Wave. even though they do not have a military to attack us with, the fact that they are a major player in marine trade means that they could wreck us economically in the future."

Naruto's words hit the money-minded civilians extra hard, something he had been counting on to reach through to them.

"As well as future repercussions, the bridge to Wave should prove to be an important supply route during the war, one we should move to secure early on. As for Tea, everywhere between our border and the border to Frost Country should be cleared."

Tsunade smacked the table once to silence the room. "Wave I understand, but what drew you to adding Tea into the equation?" Tsunade already mentally agreed, but she wanted to hear Naruto's reasoning.

"In the last Great War, Frost aligned with Kumo, and the one before that they were nearly destroyed by Kumo. Knowing this, it is in Frost's best interest to align themselves with Kumo. Tea would get caught up in the crossfire, and we want to be able to fight without worrying about the lives of innocents."

Nods showed the approval of Naruto's words, so he continued. "I would recommend two teams be sent to Wave in order to both deliver the message and secure the bridge. I believe that the team sent to Tea should be prepared to act as an assault team as well since it would be prudent to also have them scout the border and few miles into Frost Country for signs of Kumo activity. If possible they could try and persuade the Country to our side."

Tsunade leaned to the Elders to get their opinions on the matter. As she did so, Naruto caught the eye of a few of the older Clan Heads, many of whom gave him looks of approval. So far so good.

When Tsunade straightened back up the room quieted. "In addition to your solid preemptive plan, the Elders would like to add a team to go to Sound. Their mission will be to locate and destroy old bases used by Sound."

That was the approval to Naruto's proposal that he was looking for. He sat back and waited out the duration of the rest of the suggestions. Most of them were utter crap spouted by the civilian side. 'Protect these specific luxury trade routes' commonly used for exotic spices and trinkets. 'Assassinate the Raikage' as if that was a viable option. Ugh. Idiots.

"Okay, does anyone have recommendations for any of the approved missions?" Tsunade asked while rubbing her temples.

"I would volunteer my Nephew Neji to join the Sound team," Hiashi immediately volunteered.

"Thank you, Hiashi, I know what he can contribute to the team and will add him immediately," Tsunade responded while writing down the name.

"I volunteer myself to the Wave team. I led my genin team there during the construction of their bridge, so I will be a trusted face," Kakashi spoke from behind the Hokage. Tsunade only nodded and wrote down his name.

Naruto spoke up again. "With the permission of Itachi Uchiha and Mebuki Haruno, I would like to volunteer Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno to accompany me on the Tea team. We can also rendezvous with the Sound team after we complete our primary objectives."

The room tensed, and the Hokage looked Naruto dead in the eyes for a solid ten seconds. "I can agree to that three-man cell if both Itachi and Mebuki agree."

There was a bit of an uproar from the civilian side of the table. One of the older, balding men stood up and said, "Lady Hokage, are you sure we can trust such a vital mission to a trio of chunin? Especially when one of them stands to gain so much at this table from volunteering himself?"

Naruto bristled at that. Hard. He was accepted as a real person since he revealed his parentage, but he still was held in rather low light due to his _other _circumstances. Not by many, but enough that it affected situations like this. To top it off, this cock waffle assumed Naruto was as power hungry as he was.

Tsunade remained completely calm, looked at the standing man, and then smiled lightly. Naruto felt his stomach drop a little. He knew enough about the woman to know that a reserved smile like that meant she was _pissed._

"Naruto, you have my permission to validate yourself as leader of this mission."

Naruto smiled and nodded at his Hokage. "Thank you Lady Tsunade."

Naruto stood and locked eyes with every person in the room for a split second before settling on the man standing across from him. "I am Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, Tokubetsu Jonin of Konoha. I have single-handedly killed summons that entire squads could not. I have single-handedly killed dozens of men at once, on more than one occasion. A year ago, as a genin, I was listed as an A-Ranked threat by both Iwa and Kumo. I am the only living user of the Hirashin, which is how I plan to rendezvous with the Sound team. I have defeated jinchuriki with nothing more than hand-made seals. I defeated a reincarnated Shodaime Hokage in the same manner. I am the jinchuriki of the strongest Biju in the world, the same Biju I now have the ability to summon into battle at his full strength."

By the end of his speech, everyone was slack-jawed or in gripping fear of the blond. Much of that information wasn't well known, and his last little boast trumped everyone's expectations. Well, except Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Kakashi that is.

"Any objections to Naruto leading this team?" Tsunade asked.

"I volunteer my brother for the position," Itachi responded.

"And I volunteer my daughter Sakura," Mebuki immediately followed.

"Good. In that case, the meeting is adjourned," Tsunade stood and left through her door, leaving a still stunned room to watch Naruto gather his papers.

* * *

**Okay, I move back home Wednesday, so I'll do my best to have a chapter done by this weekend! Hopefully this one was enough to hold you all over.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm REALLY excited for you guys to read this one. In fact, once I dreamed the certain part (you'll know it when you read it) I had to finish it the chapter and upload it the same night! I really hope you guys like the turns in this one, and hopefully, you chuckle at least once!**

**Also, I forgot to address this last time, but YES I agree I depicted Kimimaro a little... durable lol. I was really looking for someone I could throw a new and improved Team 7 at and use as a punching bag, and it just wouldn't have seemed right to use Orochimaru at that time. So Kimimaro got one hell of an HP boost. Eh, he's dead now so whatevs.**

**Don't own. **

* * *

Naruto staggered into the massive new house of his. He was sore, tired, and conflicted. After the meeting had taken place, Naruto had made his way over to the hospital to see Sakura and deliver the news. She was there alright, and the lady at the desk had even directed Naruto to the room Sakura had been assigned to for the day.

Naruto _didn't _expect to see Sasuke present. Apparently, he had somehow burned the majority of his forearms, and then he went in to get some attention from his lady friend. Overall it just made Naruto's job easier, but it was still funny to think about.

They were both ecstatic to hear that they had a mission together so soon after Naruto's return but quickly sobered when Naruto told them what the mission was. They weren't little kids anymore, and they were getting sent on a high-risk A-Rank mission. To the Land of Tea to top it off. There was a reason between all of them that they were hesitant to return.

Naruto had spent the rest of the day preparing in his big house while clones moved personal things in. Near the end of the day, though, Naruto tested out the training field to vent out whatever frustrations the mission had brought back up.

All in all, it had a passing grade and the dirt tasted just like it was supposed to.

Now, three hours later, Naruto was setting his scrolls on the living room table. Camping gear and clothes, extra weapons, provisions, and his sealing supplies. This was an important mission and his first as a leader. He'd make sure everything went fine.

* * *

Two days of travel brought Team 7 to Konoha's border with the Land of Tea. The trio had actually stopped at the same outpost Naruto had first been deployed to. Everyone there was unfamiliar, though, and a fair number of them were Hyuga.

"This outpost has a better map of Tea than we do, it should show us most of the villages we need to hit," Naruto explained as he led his team through the halls. He was impressed with them so far, especially Sakura. Neither of them had asked for a break during the trip, but that was expected of his team by now. What impressed Naruto was the fact that neither of them appeared to be any worse for the wear.

"Do they also have a cafeteria?" Sakura asked, more than tired of eating bland ration bars.

Naruto smiled although neither of them could see it. "Take this next left and you'll see the sign. You both can grab something to eat, I can read a map by myself."

"So he can learn," came Sasuke's dry reply.

Naruto turned around in confusion when they reached the hallway leading to food. "Sakura, when did you teach him humor?"

Said pinkette simply laughed once as she dragged her smirking boyfriend away. "We'll bring you whatever they have for Ramen."

_"She knows me so well."_

**"Literally everyone knows that about you."**

At the end of the hallway was the information center, and it held the map they wanted. Stepping inside, Naruto waved to the oddly familiar looking Hyuga (they all shared a look though so who knows) and made his way to the hanging Tea map.

The plan so far was to hit every town and village along the Western border and send them to the relatively safe South-East, towards the capital. Naruto planned on having the fleeing villagers go through any towns between the Western border and the capital, effectively clearing the region while resupplying.

"Let's see, there's one, two, three…" Naruto counted seven villages and one larger town in total along the path they would take. It shouldn't take too long at each, so maybe three days to reach the Frost Country border.

Naruto took a good fifteen minutes tracing a finger along the shortest and easiest paths to take, choosing the ones he preferred and memorizing what landmarks he could. Kurama pointed out a few things when he felt inclined to do so, such as a few of the swathes of forest in the route were marked for prime hunting grounds. Naruto took that into consideration and mentally marked such an area for one night's camp.

"We brought you the wet noodles," Sasuke announced as he and Sakura entered.

"Woah, insult me all you like, but you leave the gods' chosen food out of it," Naruto warned as he took the warm cup.

Sakura sighed at their antics, but she was happy that Naruto was starting to open up about being more lenient on missions. He used to be a real stickler about staying professional. "So what's the plan?"

Naruto took a long second, or nine, to slurp at the noodles before smacking his lips and turning to the map. "We're here, and we'll travel this way," he trailed his finger up the Western border, "and hit a total of eight settlements. They'll flee East, going through every village they can and alerting the rest. We'll camp here and here before we cross into Frost on the third night."

Sasuke nodded along with the plan, content to trust in Naruto's lead for this one. Sakura, though, took a closer look at the map. "Why'd you pick that second campsite? We could get closer to the border on that day and leave less ground to cover in the morning."

Naruto was honestly pleased that he had someone with him who would not only follow but also question him. He had been taught that it was the best way to learn to lead. "Kurama noticed that it was a marked hunting ground, so I decided to call that one early and get some real food in us before the big push. We'd be far enough from the border I'll feel comfortable with a fire."

That satisfied the pink kunoichi, and after that, they were ready to head out. Naruto let Sasuke take lead, telling him to watch for the next landmark. Knowing that they could keep up, Naruto pushed the speed a bit. With nothing more than a stirring of treetops, Team 7 was off.

* * *

The first village was in sight now, and not just to Sasuke's eyes. Naruto retook the lead since he'd be in charge of talking to the village leader. "Okay, we don't want to be here for more than half an hour. We offer our help to get people ready to leave, but we're gone in thirty."

"Understood," the other two members of the team confirmed.

Like most small villages, the trees were cut back about a hundred yards away from the walls. This let the watchmen see any approaching animals or people. Now, such a thing isn't too much of a problem for ninja at the level of Sasuke, Sakura, or Naruto, but the three walked into the clearing regardless.

A shout and a wave came from a lone watchman, and Naruto waved back, trying to convey his friendly intentions. A few Samurai appeared at the gate, and Naruto knew that they were just a precaution.

"Hello, travelers! What is your business in our home?" the watchman asked once Team 7 was within earshot. He sounded friendly enough, but he was definitely ready to signal the attack.

Naruto stopped walking once the question was asked. "We are shinobi from Konoha. We come as messengers, trying to save as many of your people as possible."

All of the Samurai moved their sword hands to their pommels, the collective rustle of their armor being impressively in sync.

"I apologize, stranger, but your message has the tone of a threat…" the watchman said warily. If these were honestly Konoha ninja there wasn't much this handful of mid-tier samurai could do to stop them, and the watchman knew it.

"Quite the opposite, sir. We come bearing the news of another looming war, and we would prefer if you and your people evacuated immediately. I would be remiss if innocents were caught in the bloodshed between Konoha and Kumo."

The watchman cursed then. "Another war? And you wish to use our home as a battleground? Why must you shinobi _always _trample on those beneath you? Are we not deserving of our peace? Is war that important to you that you would upturn the lives of every country between you and your enemy?"

Naruto bowed his head. This was a man who had seen at least one war in his time, likely at the feet of fighting shinobi. "I apologize, sincerely. It is not our intention to sully your lands with blood, but even if we are simply passing our armies through to fight on the enemy ground we may be attacked. I do not want your children to see something so horrible as a war for many years in the event that I can't ask for never."

Sasuke and Sakura stood in silent support of their friend and leader, and they heard the sigh the watchman gave. "Fine. Thank you for your warning, and may whatever gods be bless you on your travels. We will warn others on our travels East."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief as the Samurai went back to a neutral stance. "We can offer you and yours twenty minutes of aid in preparation, but we have many others we need to warn North of you."

Naruto was waved off. "Go, warn our kinsman. We are a poor village, and no one has much to prepare. We will be gone by noon."

Naruto waved one more time before leading his team into the Northmost trees. He let out a relieved breath and leaned against a tree. "Not bad for my first non-violent diplomacy attempt, eh guys?"

"Naruto, where did you learn how to do that? That was actually really well said," Sakura asked as she let her team leader regain his composure.

"Spent a year with sages, that's literally the only way they talk. You pick up a thing or two," Naruto joked lightly.

**"You handled yourself well. Your masters would be proud."**

"You good to get going?" Sasuke asked.

"Yup, we have extra time now, but we should keep moving."

* * *

The rest of the day was met with two more experiences that mirrored the first. Both of the other settlements in the day were small, and Naruto even let Sakura try talking to the third one of the day. Sasuke would take the last one tomorrow, but for now they were busy finding the night's campsite.

"I can see a clearing ahead, there's a large pond in the middle of it," Sasuke reported from the lead.

"We should be fairly close then," Naruto commented.

"You marked the first camp to be just north of the pond," Sakura added, and Naruto found himself grateful once more for her skills in memorizing things.

Sasuke grunted and led them a little way to the left, likely to get around the body of water.

There was in fact a good, flat area of land clear of trees just north of the water. Naruto gave the silent signal to start setting up camp, and as he set up his own tent a trio of clones took off into the woods to both scout and gather firewood.

Once the fire was going and everyone was eating the bland, heated travel meals, Naruto said, "I'll leave a clone on guard at night. It will be able to maintain Sage Mode by meditating all night, and that should give us a pretty good range of protection."

"The Sound Border is to the West, right?" Sasuke asked as he ate.

"Yeah, we have almost five miles between us and the border, though," Sakura answered, remembering such on the map.

"Hopefully Neji and his team are already in Sound and marking up bases. It will give us a bit of a cushion to the West, but we do have to watch out for Oto in fleeing this way. I'll have the Sage clone send out lesser clones to try and take out anyone it feels is a threat, but if things need a real ninja it'll wake one of us. Probably Sasuke since you can see in the dark."

"Damn."

"Life sucks, buttercup. Well, see you guys in the morning?" Naruto asked as he stood.

"Sleep tight, Naruto," Sakura called out, following the blond's lead and heading to her tent. She shared a quick kiss with Sasuke before they went to their SEPARATE tents.

* * *

Naruto sat up suddenly, not entirely sure why he had reacted but doing his best to wake up nonetheless. He always slept with one of his gloves on, and now a set of claws were extended towards the flap of his tent. When his eyes finished waking up, he saw that a 'lesser clone' had entered his tent.

"Hng? Guh," he was basically a Sasuke now, shit.

"Boss, we got a large group of shinobi fleeing Oto, they'll cross us about half a mile North. We could engage or go unnoticed."

"Wake the others," Naruto said lowly, putting on the rest of his clothes. "If they're in the same tent, I don't want the memories."

The clone gave a small two-fingered salute and disappeared behind the flap. Naruto finished dressing, going as far as to pull out his familiar black cloak and hood. The other glove went on, and he moved out by the remains of the fire to wait for his team.

Sasuke came out first, looking no different than normal and completely awake. He flashed through all the stages of his Sharingan as he walked, likely trying to wake up fully.

Sakura wasn't long after Sasuke, thankfully from her own tent. Naruto wasn't sure why he was so worried about that, it would be funny as hell to catch them in such a… compromising situation.

"Naruto why do I feel the need to hurt you?" Sakura asked as soon as the thought finished in his mind.

Thinking quickly, Naruto replied smoothly with, "Because I just woke you up in the middle of the night to go hunt down a group of Oto nin."

Sakura nodded and agreed, "Oh, yeah that'll do it."

"How many and how far?" Sasuke asked, cutting straight to business. So he reverts back to a twelve-year-old when he's tired, that was good to know.

"Fourteen, and they'll pass a half mile North of us in ten minutes. I won't force you to go since it's not part of the mission, but I thought I'd at least offer."

"Okay cool let's go," Sasuke didn't even hesitate to answer. Sakura shrugged and started to stretch for the coming travel and fight.

Naruto, while pleased for the company, couldn't help but throw in a jab at his dark-haired friend. "Wow, Sasuke! I didn't know you were so selfless that you'd go out of your way to kill people. The innocents at stake here must really be influencing you!" or he was tired and wasn't thinking straight, Naruto didn't know which answer was better.

"Not even close, dipshit," Sasuke snarked as he cracked his neck. "It's because you're our leader and our best friend. We don't care if it's a mission or if it's because you think one of them is a hot alien with three tits that your sensei wants a drawing of. Where you go, we'll follow you. Now hurry up so we can get back to sleep."

With that, Sasuke took off walking to the forest edge, leaving a stunned Naruto flapping his jaw in a futile attempt to understand what had just occurred. Sakura walked up to him, closed his mouth, and pat him on the shoulder in a show of comfort.

"He says these things when he's tired. Come on, let's get this over with."

* * *

"Stop, this is the spot the Sage clone says they're on course to cross," Naruto said, coming to a halt in the trees.

"What's the plan?" Sasuke asked lowly.

"I'll have a clone hide underground with a modified explosive note attached, and Sasuke you be in the trees above it. Once the first half of their group passes the clone, it will detonate the tag and hopefully take out the last two or three of them. Sasuke, you hop down behind the smoke to cut off their retreat."

"Will you not get the memory of literally _blowing up?_" Sakura asked with more than a little concern as Naruto placed the note on a clone's chest.

"Nah, I've learned how to disable the memory gain for specific clones. It's come in handy a few times," Naruto replied.

"Rest of the plan, guys? We only have a few more minutes," Sasuke urged.

"Oh yeah. Sasuke, you take lead on this one. In the dark, your eyes will be a pretty scary incentive to surrender. I'll have my mask on and eleven clones spread out, so you can just pretend we're like your 'faceless men' or whatever you want. How's your acting and improv skills?"

"My what?"

"You'll do fine. Just be as dark as you like to pretend you really are, and start ordering me to kill them off if they don't cooperate. Sakura, you be in the woods for a straggler or two. No offense, but you would kinda stand out in this situation."

Sakura moved into the treetops, "No, I get it. You boys have your fun."

"Cool. Okay, let's come up with a script for you, Sasuke. We only need one of them alive."

* * *

Iba had no idea how the base had been found. There was no trace of it on the surface, the hatch was even buried via Earth jutsu after every use! It couldn't have been by smell either, no one would be stupid enough to leave anything on the surface like that.

All Iba had been able to do was destroy what files he could, gather the thirteen most important experiments, and flee towards Master Orochimaru's new area in Mist. So far things were going okay aside from the fact that all they had was weapons and a bit of water. Iba surmised that they would have to hunt and steal for food.

Iba may have made a personal decision when he fled. In all honesty, experiment 7 wasn't vital by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, she was almost put down since the mark given her had been so defective. But she was so sweet… and she kind of reminded Iba of his daughter... and she didn't deserve to die at the hands of those Konoha douche bags.

Suddenly, the peace of the night was split by an earth-shattering explosion, sending everyone tumbling forward. Iba yelled along with his men, his ears ringing as he skidded to a stop in the dirt. Iba looked back the way they came, and his eyes grew with fear of what was hiding in the dark.

Smoke and dust were in the process of clearing, but it was easy enough to see the twin torso's impaled to tree trunks. Long, sharp shards of bloody bone stuck through the stomachs of each torso, only one of them still having a limb attached.

He knew both of them in an instant. It was experiments 1 and 2, Orochimaru's attempts at recreating the Kaguya bloodline. It had been a partial success, and both of them were capable of both elongating and strengthening the bones in their arms. The bones that now stuck them to trees.

As the dust finally settled and the remaining twelve of Iba's group huddled together defensively, an even more chilling sight became visible. A lone man stood, outlined against a moonlit background. He held the head of one of Iba's perished men in one hand and a long, deadly katana in the other.

"Who are you? Why have you attacked us?" Iba called out angrily.

"I," the figure started slowly, "am he who stalks the night. And you, are nothing more than my prey." The man tossed aside the head of whichever bone brother he held, the dull thump resounding much louder than it should have.

Iba felt a sense of relief then. This was nothing more than some ass hole trying to play the hero. "Oh really? Well, Mr. Night Stalker, we seem to have you a bit outnumbered here."

There came a low, dark chuckle, and the figure lifted his head. Iba didn't even know he had been looking at the ground and resented himself for not attacking when he had the advantage.

He hated himself a lot more for almost soiling himself at the new sight.

The man now stared straight at Iba and his group of refugees. With the eyes of a devil. They seemed to absolutely _glow _in the darkness, illuminated by whatever evil fire burned within this man. They were the eyes of a predator, the eyes of one who truly did stalk the night itself.

"I want you," the katana started drawing circles in the dirt, the grating of metal on dirt also seemingly magnified a thousandfold, "to look around you. Look, and see my pack that surrounds you. Ready to kill you at my leisure."

Iba didn't want to. He didn't want to take his eyes away from the glowing orbs of this demon in man's skin and have his head stolen from his body. That is until he heard a soft, feminine whimper behind him. No… she shouldn't have to die…

Iba looked to his left and blanched. Emerging from the very darkness itself were hooded, faceless men. There were beams of moonlight that illuminated one of their heads, and there was actually no face. More demons at the beck and call of their master.

"I shall allow one of you to flee, but you, speaker, must stay and be the one to choose," the katana never stopped its loud circles.

Iba did not trust this man. Demon. Thing. But if he was telling the truth… "11, head East."

A large, muscular man hesitantly stepped out of the group's circle. Iba had chosen him because he had the best chance of surviving the journey. His body had been modified the most, his skin replaced with armor-like, living leather plates. His bones were three times as strong as any man's besides Kimimaro. 11 was strong, he would be the one to tell Orochimaru everything

11 walked slowly to the western edge of the ring of Faceless Men, absolutely terrified of getting too close to one even though he towered a foot above them. Once he was past the circle, he broke into a run and disappeared into the forest. Iba felt a glimmer of hope.

That hope was immediately dashed when he heard a short yell, a loud, meaty impact, and rustling foliage. 11 came back through the trees, flying high above everyone's heads. He slammed into a tree above a Faceless Man, limp and unmoving. 11's body fell, only to have his head caught by one of the demons in black. And promptly crushed in one hand with a burst of strength and chakra.

The demon tossed 11 back to the group, and Iba saw that his ribs had been destroyed by a single, massive impact. He had been dead long before his head was crushed in. Everyone in his group shifted nervously and drew what weapons they had.

"I'm sorry, it seems that my associates did not agree with my mercy. How… unfortunate," the red-eyed demon drawled over the noise his sword tip made. "Maybe at some point, I will ask for what you might call a… surrender."

Iba felt his pride take a blow at the words. He was one of Orochimaru's lieutenants! Trusted with an entire base on his honor as a man! He would never go down without a fight!

"My eyes see your truth, dead one. They know your 'pride' will force you to fight. And as such, you will force them all to die."

Iba couldn't breathe too well now. He was so fucking scared, how does one fight a demon in the first place? This was a children's story type of stuff!

"Hmm," the low, menacing tone was back. Then the sword stopped the circles. The silence was absolutely deafening; even the surrounding bugs had gone to hiding, leaving Iba and his group to listen only to their frantic heartbeats. The Faceless Men didn't move, but blue, ethereal claws formed at their hands, in perfect sync.

The man lifted his sword and pointed it at the group. 4, 9, and 12 were pointed out, and Iba was stuck between fear and confusion. "You three will die. Now."

Iba didn't even see it happen. There were three blurs, and three Faceless Men seemed to settle back into place, their cloaks floating gently down. And then every person pointed at by the Red-Eyed Demon dropped to the ground. 4 was missing her head, 9 lacked most of his throat and the internal organs that littered the ground, and 12 had half of her brain exposed to the pale moonlight.

7 threw up directly behind Iba, and he moved directly in front of her so she couldn't be pointed at.

"3, 5, 6, 8, diamond formation!" Iba managed to call out.

3 shakily took the left flank, 6 the right, 8, faced the rear, and 5 took point. Five did his best to stare down the red eyes in front of them, but he couldn't meet their gaze.

The demon in charge let this happen, and when all four experiments activated a level one curse mark, he _chuckled_. "Kill all four of them."

More blurs of black speed, but this time there were grunts and a single scream of pain.

Iba watched in horror as one of the Faceless ones cut both of Five's hamstrings with his otherworldly claws, kneeling stock still behind the still living experiment. To Iba's continued horror, the being flickered from existence and reappeared in front of Five. Five was on his knees, so he was next to powerless to stop the being from reaching out with both hands, grasping the sides of his head, and ending his life.

Iba felt his heart stop when he saw 5's now lifeless eyes and face where the back of his head should have been. A hand was placed on the top of his head… and blood seeped from every orifice of 5's skull. Soon, it blew apart in a bloody, swirling mass of chakra, his brain having been blended from the inside.

"P-Please…" Iba choked back a sob. He couldn't take this nightmare anymore! He and all of his men were powerless to stop these demons…

"Yes… I see the fight leaving you. My eyes tell me much… but you two," the eyes and the sword both trained on first 10, and then 13, "Must still die."

Before Iba could say or do anything, the last two of his fighters were gone. Not killed before his eyes, just gone. The passing unnatural breeze gave the impression that they had been sped away, but Iba saw nothing…

"Kami PLEASE! . . . NO!" 13 could be heard just off in the woods, and Iba fell to his knees when he heard her loud sobs fall silent. That was it. He could do no more. He and 7 would die here… at the hands of these monsters instead of at the mercy of Konoha. At this point, it would be _so _much nicer to die. Iba had seen too many nightmares to ever wake up from.

"Now I see it. Your eyes tell mine all I need to know. You are finished, a slave to whatever whim I may have. But… you," the man did something new and pointed with his hand instead of his sword. He was pointing over Iba's head and at… 7?

"Yes, you, child. You were once pure. Taken from your world of light and plunged into a darkness not of your own making. You, I shall choose to save."

Two of the Faceless men parted, and from between them came what could only be a goddess.

"Yes! Please, she's innocent, I swear!" Iba confirmed desperately, the tears springing from his eyes.

"Silence, worm!" The harsh order from the demon sent Iba sprawling to the dirt, groveling silently to plead for his life.

The goddess seemed to glide into the circle of Faceless Men, her aura light and calming. Her arms glowed green with the telltale sign of healing, and she held out a dainty hand to 7.

"Come," was the only soft, soothing sound she made. Her steps were silent, and her beautiful pink hair covered her eyes with what little length it held. As quickly as she came, she was gone. Taking 7 and leaving Iba alone with the Demons of his nightmare.

Again, the sword was in the dirt. The unnaturally loud, grating sound got closer as the furiously calm red eyes approached with slow, powerful steps. "I see you. Your essence. You can hide nothing from me now, and you are broken."

Iba knew he was right, so he remained on the ground and placed his forehead to the dirt in hopes of appeasing this angry, dark god. He said not a word, and the clearing was filled with a heavy sense of Malice. It seemed to come from every direction, not just from his new Dark Lord.

The feet stopped in front of Iba, and his Lord paused before doing anything.

Iba felt the blade dip under his chin, urging him to raise his head. He did so eagerly, quick to try and please his new Master. He looked up and immediately into the blood red eyes of his Master. The intricate, swirling lines holding some dark, occult meaning that he may never truly understand.

"Surrender your life to me and my kin. Surrender yourself now, and I swear to you that your soul will never see the torment your body has known."

Iba nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, my Dark Lord! I am yours, from now until your need of me dies! I swear it!"

The demon rose to his full height and locked 'eyes' with one of his Faceless Men. Simultaneously, every member of the circle burst into a cloak of awe and fear-inducing red power. Their arms raised, and one of them appeared behind Iba, placing a cold hand on his shoulder.

"The Dark Lord giveth, so too shall the Dark Lord taketh away."

And Iba's world went dark. Vertigo. Pain. Extreme nausea. When he opened his eyes to discard the contents of his stomach, he recognized the walls of Konoha as well as the sitting form of the young 7.

* * *

"WHAT IN EVERY KAMI'S NAME WAS THAT SHIT?" Sakura screamed as Naruto smiled along with Sasuke.

**"That was bad-fucking-ass is what it was!" **Kurama laughed along although he knew she couldn't hear him.

"That was the single most badass example of roleplay I've ever seen!" Naruto shouted back, smacking his Uchiha friend on the back. "I didn't know you had it in you, Sasuke! You should quit being a ninja and work in movies!"

"Nah, my whole family just specializes in dark and broody, that's all," Sasuke tried to brush it off, but his smile was much too large to hide. "Besides, you read my 'improv-ed' signals perfectly."

"Improvised, and thank you! But that one line you said, 'Surrender your life to me and my kin. Surrender yourself now, and I swear to you that your soul will never see the torment your body has known' was just freaking perfect!"

"No, you guys," Sakura rubbed at her temples, "that was so. Fucked. Up."

Naruto looked at her blankly before responding with, "Uh, yeah. That's why it worked. That guy will be so easy for Inoichi or Ibiki to break now!"

Sakura actually swung at Naruto for that one. "That poor guy will NEVER be the same! That kind of trauma ends lives, Naruto! And that little girl couldn't have been more than ten!"

Naruto did sober a bit when the child was brought up. Luckily, Sasuke jumped in for him.

"That's why I focused all of the mind games on the guy who seemed in charge and gave you the signal to get her out of there as soon as I could."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "She watched everyone in her group get brutally murdered. She watched as her leader slowly descended into panic-fueled insanity. And you're telling me that since she was sent to Konoha before you started talking like some wannabe fucking deity that it's totally fine?"

Sasuke shied away from her after that outburst. She was really pissed. Maybe things _did _get a bit dark.

"Whys couldn't you just put them in a genjutsu?"

"If they broke it they'd know we were just shinobi and would have resisted a lot more."

"Why not just KILL them all at once and leave that guy alive? I've seen Naruto do it before!"

"His spirit wouldn't have broken the way it did, and Ibiki would have struggled to break him since he would be fiercely loyal to Orochimaru."

"DAMNIT SASUKE LET ME WIN!"

"No."

"Sakura," Naruto said soothingly, "she wasn't a normal little girl. She was one of _Orochimaru's experiments_. Nothing she saw here today will trump what happens in those labs, trust me. The important thing is that she's in Konoha now, and they can try and save her from a worse psyche than Anko's."

Sakura crossed her arms and huffed. "It was still way too dark. And you made Sasuke seem like a villain."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and tried to signal him with his eyes. Sasuke rolled his in understanding.

"Yeah, but was I at least a powerful and mysteriously sexy villain?"

Sakura blushed only a tiny amount. "Maybe a little."

Naruto laughed before heading back to the camp at a slow walk. "Come on, let's get what hours of sleep we can before daybreak. And for the record, Sakura, you played your part beautifully as well."

* * *

**Well. You probably know which part I dreamt and wanted to write down by now huh? I mean, the thought of Team 7 just jumping into a dark roleplaying scenario just _sounds_ awesome, and boy did it get dark.**

**Who's side are you personally on, though? Is Sakura right, and the boys took things a bit too far? Or are Naruto and Sasuke right when they say they just did an awesome job of mentally fucking that guy and breaking him for Ibiki? I'd love to know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, I am really sorry about how long this one took. But, I have moved back home and out of my dorm, so maybe that means more time to write? also, my second job can get pretty slow, and my boss will let me use my computer when I can. Bonus writing time! **

**I would like to thank everyone who dropped their opinions on the whole situation with Sasuke and Naruto! Also, I do agree that the scene was pretty awesome to read and write lol. **

**I make no own claims. **

* * *

The rest of that night went quietly, and the entirety of Team 7 woke up ready to scarf down a quick breakfast and leave. Naruto had the Sage clone disperse the natural energy back into the ground before dispelling. The first stop of the day would be the biggest settlement they would encounter during the mission, and once Naruto got it out of the way he'd see if Sasuke wanted to take either the next one or the last one of the day.

Sasuke was once again in the lead of the group, using his eyes to scout ahead twice as far as either of his teammates could see. The town wasn't too far out from camp, maybe an hour's travel. Likely less since Naruto liked to push the speed when he could.

"Naruto, I'm seeing a massive clearing of almost pure dirt ahead. It looks like it could be a crater of some kind," Sasuke reported as the team sped through the treetops.

"Really? It's pretty close to the town, and it must be really recent if it didn't show on the map."

"Hn. Bad news, I think I'm starting to see some rubble. I'm pretty sure that this crater… _was _the town."

Naruto didn't break stride, but his brain jumped at the words.

**"That wasn't a small town by any means, no simple bandits could blow it off the map without everyone knowing about it."**

_"That's why I'm worried. Thoughts?"_

**"Take the lead back, maybe send a clone ahead to scout. It might not be the actual town, it could just be a few outskirt farms."**

Naruto didn't argue with the voice in his head, summoning a clone into existence and giving the order to take off and scout the crater. It rocketed off as Naruto switched spots with Sasuke. "We'll go at three-quarters of our original speed, give the clone time to check things out."

This is what shadow clones were originally made for, and it was where they truly excelled at. Recon in a possibly dangerous area. Naruto felt confident that whatever his clone sent back to him would be valuable information —

The clone popped. Well, it got dispelled by force.

"I see a dust cloud originating from the center of the crater ahead," Sasuke warned.

"Stop," Naruto halted the group.

"What are we up against, Naruto? You have a plan yet?" Sakura's voice didn't make it to the blond though, his mind was occupied with analyzing the short yet clear memory the clone had returned to him.

"There's one man in the center of the mess. He's… blind. Or at least blindfolded. He also had some odd piercings, but I don't know if they're purely cosmetic or not. The thing is, he's sitting on some kind of throne fashioned from the rubble. And he dispelled my clone with… something. It was like he pushed physical air at me, but the impact was way more solid than any wind jutsu has a right to be."

That description puzzled even Sakura, and Naruto was just fine admitting that she was the brains in this operation. That wasn't a normal jutsu. "Is he for sure hostile? He could just be a scared survivor."

Naruto was a bit skeptical since his clone was taken out so easily, but that could have been his ego talking.

**"Definitely your ego and pride talking, just go and see what the old man wants."**

"Kurama says we should just go talk to him, so that's what we'll do. Be ready to fight, though."

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke walked out into the devastated field doing their best to come across as friendly. They weren't too sure if it would help since the guy was blind, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

"Excuse me, sir? Do you know what happened here?" Naruto asked, stopping a few yards away from the seated man.

The blindfolded man turned his head to face the trio. "Ah, children. Come, sit with me."

Naruto looked at first Sakura and Sasuke, and when he got a pair of shrugs he sat cross-legged in front of the man. "Why are you sitting alone out here? Do you need any kind of help?"

The man smiled sadly before he answered, "The story that brings me in front of you is a long one, one much too long for a single sitting."

Naruto saw both of his teammates show their annoyance from the corner of his eyes. Sasuke was reserved and merely closed his eyes, but Sakura's was more obvious with the way her eye twitched.

"Do you know what happened to this town?" Sasuke asked once he reopened his eyes.

With a tilt of his head, the blind man said, "They were crushed by the weight of their sins, boy. Blown to the side to make way for a new world's peace."

"Great, he's an end of the world kind of guy…" Sakura mumbled under her breath.

"Okay, but _what _happened exactly?" Naruto pushed.

"I will tell you, but you must first know that I am not here to fight any of you. You have enough of war on your plate as it is."

That one through a red flag or two.

**"Naruto, be ready to defend yourself. I do not trust this man."**

The man shifted on his rubble chair before speaking again, "I happened. I crushed these people, their sins were the fuel all pain needs, and instead of spreading to the world I made sure it was contained to the sinners themselves."

_"What?!"_

Sasuke shifted in place, resting a hand on his shuriken pouch. Sakura pulled her gloves on tighter, ready to start throwing fists at whatever she had to.

"I don't understand, who are you?" Naruto asked, mentally preparing himself for an answer.

The man stared up into the sky, his head tilted back as far as it would go even though he could not see. "That is a good question. I have many names, and yet I have none. I am many people, and yet I am no one person. For the sake of ease, you may call me Pain."

Naruto was used to old men talking in riddles and rhyme by now, so he followed most of that.

"And you, Pain, destroyed this _entire _town? On your own? You don't work with anyone?"

There was a deep, slow chuckle as the blindfolded man stood. "No, Naruto, the organization I lead is not here with me. It is not yet their time to serve a god."

"How do you know his name?" Sakura asked immediately.

"Who works for you?" Sasuke's question followed soon after.

Naruto stayed silent as realization dawned on him. Kurama gave off a low growl within his mind. This was a very, very dangerous man, and he was just _sitting _in front of him. The man stood then, prompting the three members of Team 7 to jump to their feet as well.

"We've had an eye on Naruto for quite some time, actually. Speaking of, I know of that little stunt you pulled last night. The same as I'm aware of the discord it caused among you."

Sasuke looked sharply to Sakura for some kind of response, but she refused to meet his gaze and focused on the strange man.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto demanded. He was confident that he would have known if they were being watched.

"Sakura, you fail to understand the implications that war brings. In times like these, villages like yours expect anything to go. You are taught to go to any lengths to shorten the war and save as many of your own people as possible. Unfortunately, that little girl and surviving man of that group had to be put through what you all did last night to achieve this. But this is war, and it was expected."

Sakura relaxed a bit as she started to see the new viewpoint.

"On the other side of the coin, Sasuke and Naruto could have taken measures against the situation. Had they been given more time perhaps they would have, but what you two did can be considered despicable by any means, and your people will only believe it justified under the banner of war. Just know that the little girl's wellbeing is on your heads."

Sasuke took his turn in softening his stance. Not everyone was as cold or hard as he could be since not everyone had been broken and rebuilt like had been. His actions did have consequences, and what made it worse was that they wouldn't hurt him, but others.

"Naruto, you had the best understanding of what you were doing, but still decided to let events unfold the way they did. You let things drag out and become much worse than necessary, simply because you found it amusing that Sasuke was doing so well. Your sins weigh the heaviest."

"And what are you going to do about it, old man? Flatten me like this village?" Naruto struggled not to snarl as he spoke. In truth, if this was the man he thought it could be he would need Kurama's help.

"No, Naruto, I promised you that I wasn't here to fight any of you," the man began to turn away slowly. Naruto's eyes widened as his worst fears were shown on the man's cloak.

Red Clouds.

"Your time to die by hand has not yet come."

"He's Akatsuki!" Naruto yelled, and with less than a thought five tails burst from behind him.

Naruto released every ounce of Malice he could muster, doing his best to direct it at the leader of Akatsuki. There was a _lot _more he was capable of releasing now, nearly double of what he had used during Konoha's invasion, and it showed. The ground beneath his feet cracked and cratered, and even with his focus on the Akatsuki leader both Sakura and Sasuke were buckled by the feeling.

"I see you have grown since the last time I watched you," came the casual response.

To Naruto's shock, a hand flicked out and then backward, flinging a piece of paper at Naruto. It flew too fast for even Naruto to avoid, and it stuck itself firmly to the right side of his forehead.

The Malice cut off, the tails disappeared, and Naruto fell shaking to his knees. He felt empty. Devoid of energy and warmth, and now he couldn't even feel Kurama.

_"Kurama!" _his internal shout was as loud as he had ever managed, but there was only silence in response.

"We got him," Sasuke's eyes lit up in the now familiar pattern of his Eternal Mangekyo, and Sakura blitzed herself to the second gate.

The couple flew forward, flying at the turned back of the man. Naruto was too weak to tell them to stand down, all he could do was support himself on his shaking arms. Naruto saw fire streaming from Sasuke's mouth, and he knew that a massive wave of heat and destruction would soon follow. Sakura was ready to launch her fist forward, green energy swirling around her hand. Naruto felt confident in his team, but it all changed when he heard the cold voice of the man once more.

"Shinra Tensei."

Sasuke and Sakura were flung back, and Naruto followed them soon after. He had no way of catching himself, and the powerful push sent him crashing into and through the rubble. Without Kurama's healing power or even his own strength, Naruto was in serious danger of dying. He felt his arm snap, his leg get cut open by a sharp rock, and the impact of the hard ground with every tumble he took away from the man.

The three shinobi of Konoha stopped about fifty yards from their enemy, Naruto remaining on the ground in severe pain.

"I do have to thank you for such a tag, Naruto. Had you not given it to Suna while it was under the control of a certain snake I never would have been able to buy it off of him."

Naruto cursed within his throbbing head.

"I have only come to tell you that I do hope you win your little war. I may not pick one, but I do favor one side over the other. The man you captured last night was on his way to Orochimaru, so you should learn of his location soon enough. Also, the border towns in Frost Country have already been militarized against you. You can either return home or purge them for me. It makes no difference to my plans."

Naruto managed to painfully tilt his head up to look at Pain once more. He stood calmly, facing the trio without a care in the world. He must have been using some form of voice amplification, because he was speaking in the same tone from this distance. Sakura was soon at Naruto's side, removing the tag and healing what she could.

Pain tilted his head as he watched Sakura snap Naruto's arm back together and heal it manually, happy that the tag worked.

"Now that I know that I wasn't sold faulty goods, I will take my leave. Know this, children. You are some of the only mortals to live after being face to face with a living god."

Naruto braced himself on one arm and focused on regaining his chakra back, as well as his connection to Kurama. If it was truly his tag, then he knew that the more chakra someone had and tried to use the sooner the effect would wear off after removal.

"Also, Naruto?" Pain straightened and spread his arms wide, "by meeting me, you are all that much closer to finding Hinata."

And then he was gone. No flash, no smoke, just gone.

And Naruto was livid. His chakra seeped out of his tenketsu, doing its best to reopen everything. Both of his teammates backed away from what they knew was a coming explosion. Red began to leak from him, rolling off of him in growing waves. A dam broke, and Naruto was explosively shrouded in gold. Black marks adorned his body, and he radiated with furious power.

"Uh, please don't make everything explode?" Sasuke asked hesitantly.

Naruto let the cloak fade and did his best to calm his breathing. Hinata would have to… wait. There was still a mission to do. "Let's move. We have to make sure the rest of the villages and towns are okay. We have no idea if this was the only target, so we'll check them all before getting into Frost. Then we'll move West and link up with Neji."

Sakura knew that this tone meant it was time for business, and nothing else. Tonight, she would try to talk to him, hopefully after he had calmed down some. With that in mind, she followed him North with Sasuke, past the ruins of the town and towards their next objective.

* * *

**"I know you're upset. I'm inside you. I'm _always _inside you."**

_"Ugh, don't say it like that."_

**"Whatever it takes to get you talking again. You haven't said anything since we met Pain, and that was hours ago."**

_"What did you expect? And you've SEEN the rest of the villages today… all of them destroyed in the exact same way."_

**"He isn't Akatsuki's leader for nothing."**

_"Exactly! So why would he be so stupid to show himself to us like that?" _

**"I don't think he's stupid, Naruto. That little show he put on for you had a purpose. What do you think it was?" **

That got Naruto thinking as he led his team even further towards the Frost Country border. Their pace was furious, but there weren't any complaints yet.

_"He wanted me to know that he's everywhere. He knew everything important about me and even a bit about Sasuke and Sakura."_

**"Good. And?"**

_"He let us know that this war isn't our only concern, and there isn't even a guarantee that countries are the only ones involved. Akatsuki could strike out at any time they wanted."_

**"What else?"**

_"He knows where Hinata is. If Akatsuki doesn't have her, then one of their members will know who does."_

**"Naruto, he _cut our link_. Think about that. He did what should have been impossible and cut off all of your chakra. Only you or your sensei should be able to do that."**

_"You heard him! He bought my tag from Orochimaru. I gave the tag to the Sand Siblings to help Gaara sleep, so no doubt they had it looked over and turned into their Kazekage before they used it. And of fucking course the real Kazekage was dead."_

**"I feel like a big part of his appearance was to show you that you aren't invincible. He even shrugged off a five-tailed Presence."**

_"All he did was show me one of my weaknesses to work on… and that _no one _is invincible. That includes him."_

"Naruto? We're getting pretty close to the border. Can we take a break before we cross into enemy territory?" Sakura spoke up from behind her leader.

Naruto's head snapped up and he noticed that the sun had sunk below the treetops. He had spent more than a couple hours alone with his thoughts and with Kurama. He looked behind him next, and he felt more guilty than he ever had before.

Both of his teammates were breathing heavily, their chests and shoulders heaving with every step. His brutal pace hadn't slowed in the slightest, and their non-Biju enhanced bodies were feeling the toll. Like real soldiers, like real friends, they were prepared to follow Naruto on his hatred-fueled warpath with no rest. It was a good thing Sakura spoke up to snap him out of his reverie.

Naruto came to an abrupt stop, both surprising and relieving his haggard teammates. "I'm sorry, you guys. I was up in my head this whole time. We'll rest for the night and head out in the morning."

Sasuke looked up from his position leaning against a tree, "Not that I'm not grateful or anything, but what happened to scouting things out at night?"

Naruto glanced between his two closest friends before sending out a pair of clones. "After today I think I owe you guys a decent night's rest. We can have a small fire after dark if we use only the driest wood. Sakura, how far away is the border?"

"About an hour and a half at standard travel speed, less than half that if we keep up our speed from today," she was bent at her waist, rubbing at her calves while taking deep breaths. Naruto was absolutely amazed she made it that long.

"Then a small fire shouldn't be anything to worry about unless there's a scouting party."

"I have to agree with Sasuke on this, though. You don't have to worry about us, we'll be fine in a few hours and we can go with your original plan to scout at night."

Naruto smiled as he had a pair of clones take their tents and begin to set them up for them. "Oh, scouting isn't our primary objective anymore. We're just double checking on what that Pain guy told us."

Sasuke happily down once his tent had been taken from him. "And if what he said was true? We just gonna head into Sound and link up with the second team?"

Naruto's smile grew wider, "Oh, Sasuke! Don't you remember Team 7's original team dynamic and purpose?"

Sakura answered with a sly tone, "Yes, Assault Oriented Striking team, originally of the fourth degree but elevated to second just before you left on your training trip."

Naruto stared at her for a hard second, his clones stopping to do the same. "I mean, I was looking for a simple 'Assault' but hey that works too."

"What the hell is with the degrees?" Sasuke asked.

"Fourth degree is the lowest, and it's always given to genin teams no matter what their specialty is. The higher your degree, the more priority missions you're given. They're harder, more important, things like that," the resident encyclopedia/dictionary/almanac informed her teammates.

"Well, in that case, we're gonna give everyone a reason to promote us to the first degree. Because we have a few Kumo infested towns to wipe off the map."

Sakura was quick to interject, "What about the civilians? I can understand last night a bit now, but if we just blow up civilians then we're no better than Kumo or _Orochimaru_."

Naruto flinched at the implication.

**"She has a point, kit. You will need a more precise approach to this than simply letting me cut loose."**

"You're right," Naruto conceded as his first clones returned with wood. "We… we'll talk about this over dinner. Kurama we're still in the hunting area right?"

**"About half a mile out of the suggested border, but it's no real problem."**

Naruto ran through the summoning seals and placed a hand to the ground, allowing a three-tailed Kurama to emerge. With that many tails, he was about the size of a large wolf.

"He's so… gorgeous!" Sakura clapped and covered her smile.

Kurama showed his teeth, and his sleek coat appeared to shimmer as he looked at Sasuke. "Watch out, Uchiha! Sounds like you have some competition!" and the large fox took off into the growing darkness to the sounds of Naruto's laughter. Underneath it was Sakura's giggles and Sasuke's low muttering of curses.

* * *

Naruto sat in front of a small fire, his teammates seated similarly around the ring of light and warmth, fresh venison between their hands. Kurama lay in a rolled ball of fur off to the side, and Naruto caught Sakura moving to pet him several times. For Sasuke's sake, he stopped her every time.

In this rare time of his head being completely private, Naruto thought. Not that he didn't USUSALLY think or anything, it's just now he thought about the bigger things in life.

He actually had a lead on Hinata. If Akatsuki did have her, then it seemed like Naruto would have to start headhunting for S-Ranked criminals. No problems there.

The problems were with Naruto himself. He had changed so much over the course of a few years, and he wasn't too sure he liked all of the changes. He wasn't sure if Hinata would. What happened to the kid who believed he could save everyone? Why didn't that kid tell him to save that little girl like Sakura said he should have? Was he really starting to enjoy the wanton destruction and humiliation of his enemies? That wasn't him. That was Anko, and no way in hell would he become an Anko.

"Guys? Am I… a good person?" Naruto asked hesitantly once his own venison had disappeared.

Sakura glanced at her boyfriend before asking, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if that Pain guy had a point? As crazy as he was, what if the weight of sins really is what will sink us?"

"You've spent too much time talking to old men, Naruto. Say what's on your mind without twisting it up," Sasuke grunted. He came across a bit brash, but Naruto knew he was doing his best to be supportive.

"I used to be so different. I hated killing, and I thought I could save everyone. I… hang on, I have an idea," Naruto disappeared in a sudden flash, startling both of his teammates. Kurama didn't stir and was likely still sleeping.

As Sasuke waited patiently for Naruto's return, Sakura once again inched closer and closer to Kurama and his magnificent fur. The flash of gold scared her back into her original seat.

"I wrote this around the time I became a genin. Jiraiya-sensei told me it would help… but it seems so different now that I'm reading it so much later…" Naruto held up a folded, slightly wrinkled piece of paper in the firelight.

"What's it say? What is it?" Sakura pushed.

Naruto was silent for a second, but he eventually read the paper aloud.

_Naruto Uzumaki's List to Live Life By_

_Shinobi have no room for Honor. That is for Samurai and dead ninja. _

_But a man is allowed to be as honorable as any samurai._

_All ninja are tools to protect the village from harm._

_But all real men put what they love above all else._

_I will never abandon my friends. Nor will I ever disappoint my family._

_I will not let what happens on a mission effect what happens in my home._

_Mercy isn't for the weak, it is for the deserving._

_Death may be mine to deliver, but it isn't mine to control._

_If I am able to help someone, I will put their needs above my own._

_If I ever have to choose between honor and duty, I will choose both._

_Or die trying._

"I don't know what you mean, that all sounds just fine," Sasuke asserted once Naruto finished.

"Exactly. The problem is that I feel like I've been drifting further and further away from the kind of person I want to be. Twelve-year-old me would never have let that little girl stay. He wouldn't have jumped straight to eradicating villages without considering civilians as I did."

Sakura took his old argument and said, "Twelve-year-old you was never in wartime."

"Is that what's going to happen?" Naruto asked cynically. "I'll go through war after war and lose a little more of my values and humanity as time goes on?"

Sakura had no response to that.

"The leader of the fucking _Akatsuki _had a better grasp of right and wrong than I do. He knows who deserves to die, and he believes that he's dishing out some kind of justice. What am I doing?"

Sasuke lowered his chin, deep in thought.

"I've been going around just reading orders and killing people. They're nameless to me, but they had friends. Probably family. Odds are they all had their own Hinata and I took them all from her when I didn't have to. And the fucked up thing is that I'm perfectly willing to keep doing it. I don't care about others so much anymore… as long as I keep you guys and everyone _I _care about safe I'll kill whoever I have to."

Sasuke picked up his head, and he had a determined look in his eye that Naruto knew meant that he had thought out what he had to say. "The thing is, Naruto, trauma changes people. It either forces them to grow or it crushes them. You'd never be crushed by something like this or anything you've been through, so you've been forced to grow. The more painful the experiences the harsher you have to grow, it's just the way it works. You both saw it happen to me after the incident, and you, Naruto, were the first to start pulling me out from under the crushing weight. Thank you for that, and know that we're both ready to 'help you, with whatever it is you may need.'"

Naruto sat and stared, recognizing more than a few little things from the first time he had properly met Sasuke. He would never get used to just how much the Uchiha was capable of saying when he wanted to, but Naruto would also be forever grateful for it.

"You ever consider becoming a sage?"

"Fuck off."

Sakura interjected the light banter, "He's right, you know. We're right here, and nothing is going to change that. We'll help you through this war the same way you'll help us, and we'll help you get Hinata back. I'm sure once she's with you you'll feel more complete, and a lot happier with who you are."

Sakura locked eyes with Sasuke for a split second, chewing the inside of her lower lip as she looked at her boyfriend. "That's just how this sort of thing works."

Naruto stood and gave his friends one last smile. "Thank you, guys. Really, I got really lucky with my team. I'm going to head in for the night, my sentry clone will wake us at dawn."

Naruto had turned to make his way towards his tent, but he was stopped by a slim yet strong pair of arms wrapping themselves around his chest. A third hand placed itself on his shoulder, and Naruto knew even Sasuke was getting in on this impromptu group hug.

"You're a good person, Naruto. We don't doubt you, so don't go doubting yourself," Sakura mumbled.

"Yeah, quit flipping your shit, you pansy," good old Sasuke.

Naruto laughed lightly as he disentangled himself from the support of his friends. "Go to bed, you guys. I'll be fine in the morning. Kurama you can either sleep out here or dispel yourself and head back into my mind. Your choice."

The lack of response led Naruto to believe that the fox would sleep in the real forest tonight.

"Good night, you guys."

* * *

"This is about as close as I'm comfortable taking us. I could send in a clone, but if they have a sensor, which they almost certainly do, it would be found pretty quickly. Sasuke, can you see from here?" Naruto had his team up on a cliffside, laying on their stomachs and scoping out a village a good mile away. It was true a good sensor ninja could reach well over half a mile, but if they kept their chakra usage low enough they should be safe from this distance.

Sasuke activated his Mangekyo and narrowed his eyes in focus. "I only see Kumo shinobi on patrol and setting up defenses. No civilians in sight."

Naruto scowled. "Great. So, this is either a scorched earth or a search and rescue mission now. Do you see any teams or single shinobi on the outskirts?"

"Yes, it looks like a duo is headed off to the east side of the village to get wood. They have a wagon and axes."

Naruto looked at Sakura, silently asking for her input on the situation. Since everyone on the team was technically capable of leading one of their own, Naruto thought it was a good idea to get ideas whenever he could.

"If Sasuke could trap one of them in a genjutsu and lead the other one far enough away to eliminate one and capture the other we could interrogate him for information on the village, and maybe even the rest of the villages."

Naruto nodded to himself, already liking the plan.

Sasuke spoke up then, "Visual genjutsu still uses chakra, what if the sensor picks it up?"

**"Most soldiers will travel either to the front edge of the woods or the back end of the resident sensor's range. If Sasuke can get one with his cheating eyes from about twenty yards away he should be safe enough for light chakra use."**

"Sasuke is that pair cutting at the front edge of the woods or are they moving deeper in?" Naruto asked.

"They've started cutting about two-thirds of a mile in."

"Okay, Kurama says that should be about the effective range of their sensor. You just have to hit one with your genjutsu from your max distance and you should be fine. Just keep your kill quick, quiet, and don't use chakra."

Sasuke laid a hand on the hilt of his sword and said, "Be back in five."

* * *

Sasuke returned with a Kumo chunin trailing him. The Kumo nin had a glazed look in his eye, and he clearly had no idea what was going on.

**"I'm telling you, those eyes are totally cheating."**

"Good job, Sasuke. Sakura, immobilize him please."

Sakura nodded and knelt down by the dazed man's legs. Her hand came up by her waist as she looked for the best place to immobilize the man in question. Suddenly, her fist flew forward. There was a sick squelch right before a sharp cracking sound, and then she pulled her bloody fist from between his legs.

The Kumo man snapped out of the genjutsu, no doubt in horrifying agony. His mouth was stretched wide as tears streamed down his face, but no sound or air escaped his lips. As Naruto looked on in morbid fascination, he finally heard the pained squeak that came from the target.

"Oh my gods, Sakura!" Sasuke said as he backed away. The prisoner was now on his side, cupping the crushed remains of his manhood. "I was expecting some kind of medical thing…"

Sakura shook the blood and puss from her hand as she responded haughtily, "If you boys can enjoy torturing a group of people then I should be allowed to enjoy my own bit of torture."

**"… That's a red flag. Tell Sasuke to run as far away from her as possible."**

"Uh, we still need information from him, and we can't wait a whole day for him to numb the pain to talk," Naruto said.

Sasuke perked up at that, "How about three days? I can be back in less than a minute."

Naruto knew vaguely what he meant, it was one of Itachi's most feared techniques. "Go ahead, just get what we need from him."

Sasuke nodded, turned the downed man to face him, then went completely still for nearly a full minute. When he moved again, the Kumo ninja convulsed on the ground, but Sasuke quickly used his sword to put an end to his suffering. Naruto was honestly relieved for him.

"Alright, what's the deal? How did it go?" Sakura asked her boyfriend.

"I'm not quite as good as Itachi yet, so I only had two days to talk to him. Plenty of time, but he made me promise to kill him and end his 'phallic torture'," his eyes then flicked to Sakura in fear, "but he did tell me that Kumo always makes civilians evacuate before they dig themselves in. Aside form this village, there's three more as we head West."

"Great," Naruto sat down, made three clones, and started to amass Nature chakra. "That's one for each of us!"

**"Oh, Naruto, you spoil me!" **

_"Have fun, big guy!"_

"You're letting Kurama out? Won't that tell them who's responsible?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, but who cares? We're already at war. This'll just put a nice little chunk into Kumo's forces, and we can hit the next village before word reaches them. I'll take the next one, Sasuke can take the third, and Sakura you can cut loose on the last one!"

"What makes you think I can destroy an entire village?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Uh, you can demolish buildings with a tap of your knuckles, you can open the GATES, and you can literally turn invincible," Sasuke answered. He finished just as Naruto finished gathering the needed chakra.

"Yeah okay that's fair."

Naruto stood and handed Sakura one of his Hirashin kunai. "Sakura, you're the strongest one here, do you think you can hurl this thing a mile and over their village?"

She looked at the kunai, then felt its weight and balance. "I mean, probably. It's worth a shot."

_"You ready in there?"_

**"Oh I am going to ENJOY this!"**

Naruto placed a hand on the kunai again, coating it in an application of Gale Palm. "That should make it much easier. Let her rip!"

Sakura reared back, focused her chakra, and hurled her arm forward with everything in her. There was a small shockwave as the kunai left her hand. It had both broken the sound barrier and threw up a small cloud of dirt.

"You overshot it by half a mile," Sasuke deadpanned.

"I can make that work!" Naruto exclaimed before flashing out of sight.

"Is it bad if I said that was pretty hot?" Sasuke asked once they were alone.

"How long do you think we have?" Sakura asked him back.

"Probably not long enough for anything good."

One of the sitting clones coughed. "Guys, we're still here."

Sakura shrugged, "Yeah, but we know you'd erase that memory or whatever before dispelling."

Then the clones disappeared, and they heard a deafening roar from the direction of the village. There was Kurama, in all his Nine-tailed glory.

"Think we're far enough away?"

"Fuck I hope so."

* * *

**Next chapter I promise you guys a huge surprise, something this story has never seen before! And I also promise it won't take this long to get it out again. See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is the shortest chapter by far, but it's actually closer to my word goal than almost all of my other ones lol. Anyway, you'll see why it's a bit shorter than usual, and hopefully, it'll hold you all over until I finish the next one. Enjoy! **

* * *

_Day of Konoha invasion._

Hinata woke up laying on her side, blood coating her arms and her head throbbing. Everything had happened so quickly, and there were SO many! Zabuza could only hold off most of them, and it fell to Hinata and Haku to keep Karin safe. Hinata still wasn't sure why Kumo and Iwa nin were attacking them specifically. If anything, they should have been going for bigger fish if they were part of the invasion.

"You're finally awake," a voice said to Hinata's far left. She tried to activate her Byakugan but found that doing so made her nearly pass out once more. "Please don't do that again, you tried to activate your dojutsu the last time you woke up and that was half a day ago."

Hmm, she was in worse shape than she thought. "Who are you?" Hinata asked as she struggled to sit up and face the speaker.

"You can call me Tobi. Most of my… friends do anyway. I saved you from that group who was attacking you."

Hinata finally sat up fully and got her first view of the stranger who saved her. He wore a mask, a red swirly one that only exposed one eye. Probably blind in the other one. He was also wrapped in a black cloak, so she couldn't see the rest of him. "Why?" she managed to croak out.

"You are _very _important to a certain someone, Hinata. Someone who I hope I can enlist the help of one of these days."

Hinata's eyes narrowed as she came to a conclusion. "If you think that I'll just let you use me to get to Naruto then you are sorely mistaken."

There was a light chuckle, but it wasn't intimidating in the least. "No, you mistake me for the scum that attacked you. I don't plan to force or bribe Naruto into anything. I just want him to feel like he owes me enough to help me, so I rescued you. His princess."

Hinata relaxed and fought a blush at the words, "I wouldn't say _princess _or anything…"

Another soft laugh from Tobi. "Don't deny it, Hyuga. I had one of my own, long ago. That's actually why I need your boyfriend's help."

"How is that any different than using us?" Hinata asked.

"He'll have a choice. I'll bring you back once it's safe and you're healthy, and he will be able to choose whether to help me or not. He likely will, since my goals make his enemy mine."

Hinata could accept that answer, but before she could say anything she shivered. Tobi stood, removed his cloak, and moved to drape it over her shoulders. Hinata smiled in thanks, wrapping the warm fabric tightly around her shoulders. That's when she saw the first sign of trouble. Adorning the cloak were red clouds, the same symbol Naruto had told her to avoid during one of their various dates.

"You're Akatsuki!" her tone was accusing, but she could make no real move in protest.

"It's my current cover, yes. You see, my plan revolves around Akatsuki's 'leader'. I've met the man several times, and I have a great need of him."

Hinata was still skeptical, but she didn't have too much of a choice in the matter. She was honestly just grateful that her rescuer wasn't some kind of pervert. Then she noticed her surroundings... or the lack of them. Everywhere she looked was the same. Gray, floating chunks of land with a dark sky and horizon. She wasn't even sure how there was light enough to see.

"Where are we?" she asked with a new apprehension in her voice.

Tobi tilted his head to the side before answering, "I'm surprised it took you so long to notice! This is something along the lines of my personal pocket dimension. I utilize a special space-time jutsu, not too much unlike Naruto's Hirashin. I'm the only way in and out, so you'll be safe here."

Hinata was both relieved and worried at that statement. There was no escape, but there was also no danger other than this Tobi person himself. "And how long do I have to stay here?"

"I can't risk bringing a med-nin in here, the fewer people that know about both this place and you the better. You'll probably be naturally healed in a couple of months, at least to the point to where you can start rebuilding your strength."

"What? No, I can just regain my strength at home! I don't want to… burden you for so long," Hinata was panicking a little bit now. How would Naruto react to such a long separation? How would _she _react?

"Don't worry about it, it's really no problem. You know, I fought a lot of Hyuga in my day, I could also help you train when you're stronger. Just something to keep you occupied while the heat on you dies down."

"This isn't making any sense, why can't I just go back now?"

"Hinata, war has just started, and Naruto will be at the center of it. By extension, YOU will be at the center of it. If someone can get you, they get Naruto. For all of our sake's, I need to make sure you can protect yourself before I return you to a war-torn world."

Hinata was starting to see Tobi's reasoning, but she still didn't like it. "Okay, but what's your big plan with all of this?"

At that, Tobi turned his back. "Perhaps once we trust each other more I can tell you more about myself. I will expect the same from you though, little princess."

There was an odd swirl, and Hinata saw Tobi disappear into his own head. It made no sense, but that's what she saw. And for some reason, as she laid down once more, she felt like she wasn't being told the whole truth.

* * *

_Two months after Konoha invasion._

Hinata opened her eyes and took the first conscious breath of her morning. By the lack of the breakfast smell, Tobi was obviously absent. She sat up and pulled down the light blanket, bunching the fabric down around her knees before pulling her legs free.

Her 'savior' had been very generous and accommodating the last two months, bringing her ample amounts of food and some furniture for her comfort. Her favorite gift was the bed. She was nearly completely healed now, and only her left wrist really gave her any problems anymore. She had gotten really lucky that nothing had been broken.

"Hey, sorry I'm late for breakfast," Tobi said as he phased in. As many times as she had seen it, Hinata still wasn't used to the sight.

"It's fine, I can cook for myself as well, you know," she joked lightly.

"I'd imagine s, since the days I can't make it here the food I find is usually better than mine."

"So what's the plan for today?" Hinata asked. Sometimes, Tobi would bring games with him, or even some books on lucky days.

"I was thinking… if you're feeling up to it how about some light training?"

Hinata froze, her hand stuck in place over the fruit bowl. "Really?"

"I mean, Naruto's training his ass off so why shouldn't you?"

That struck a nerve in the girl, the mention of that loveable blond made her heart ache. "Naruto…"

"Oh yeah! I also found out where he's training for the week, would you like to maybe take a secret peek at him?" Tobi offered excitedly. For some reason, he seemed to take a bit more interest in pleasing Hinata lately.

"Can we?! Oh, Tobi, that would be amazing!"

Tobi nodded enthusiastically before saying, "It will have to be pretty quick so he doesn't notice us, but I think we could pull it off. Would you like to see him with or without clothes?"

Hinata screamed a little as she smacked the arm of her friend, her face blushing wildly at the implication.

"You're right, I wouldn't be able to hold you off of him if we went to see him during a shirtless session. Clothed it is!"

Before Hinata could berate him further, she felt his hand touch her arm, and she was overtaken by the most uncomfortable feeling she could ever remember. Her eyes opened to see a new, lush and green landscape before she could make sense of the sensation.

"Shh, he's over there! Don't do anything dumb and make me restrain you, okay? I'm really trusting you with this. If he finds out about you, he could endanger all of Konoha by abandoning the war."

Hinata was still a bit wary of Tobi's squirrely logic, but her excitement drowned all of it out. She snuck through the brush with Tobi, and before long she heard the sounds of a massive battle going on. Leave it to Naruto to 'train' with live combat.

In the newly made clearing ahead, she saw her beloved. She actually saw hundreds of him. A few hundred were playing around with a Rasengan each, occasionally blowing themselves up. The other couple hundred all seemed to be fighting a single Naruto, presumably the real one. He was cut in several places, bloodied and bruised, but he was simply amazing to watch. Behind him sat a massive toad. It wasn't Gamabunta, who she met only once, but his size was comparable. He appeared to be barking orders.

Hinata gave a sharp inhale of amazement when the Naruto's started to fling ninjutsu around to supplement their taijutsu. The original Naruto jumped high into the air, spinning wildly to avoid what appeared to be air bullets. He fired off his own, followed by an extremely destructive Vacuum Wave. The clones either were destroyed or pushed back, and Naruto flung a trio of shuriken before they multiplied by a hundred or two.

The storm of metal met the combined prowess of every clone's stone wall, and the original Naruto fired off a massive Pressure Damage to break it all down. When he did so, roughly half of the clones were missing. Hinata felt elation at him having eliminated so many in a single blow, but then he leaped once more into the air. Every one of the missing clones burst from the ground, each brandishing a Rasengan and moving to finish the fight. The real Naruto unleashed a maelstrom from his mouth, the Great Breakthrough demolishing everything beneath him in an instant. The remaining clones near the wall's rubble mimicked him, blasting their own wind at him.

Naruto pulled a kunai, coated it in chakra, and gave a single, powerful, downward slash. The wind blew past him, but he remained unruffled. He must have cut through the jutsu with his own wind. Naruto then dove back into the middle of the clones, taking them out individually with his taijutsu.

Hinata was in literal awe, and I only increased when Naruto finished, heard an order, and created another few hundred clones without hesitation. Nothing but a single breath's respite, and he was back into the fray. He really was… amazing.

Hinata lurched as she felt the sensation again, a twisting, flipping feeling that upset her stomach a little. The feeling was accompanied by the despair she felt from being separated once more, but she knew Tobi thought it was for the best.

"Well, is he impressive or what?" Tobi asked happily from his spot on the bed.

"He's… he's my Naruto all right. I guess I can't let him get too far ahead of me, right?"

"That's the spirit! We'll start with some light exercises, and in a week or so we can move on to light sparring. You'll catch up to him before too long, little princess. Trust me."

* * *

_Six months after Konoha Invasion_

Hinata finished the form she had been working on. She had no real way to advance in her old style, so she honed what she knew to the point of likely being able to do it in her sleep. Tobi had actually started to talk to her more, telling her about an old team he used to have and other small things like that. She was never given any names, but she knew by now that Tobi was very secretive in nature.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Hinata decided to work on her new technique. She had figured out the Kaiten in only two months and Tobi's help, and she admittedly did not enjoy how dizzy repetitive use left her. Tobi had suggested modifying it a bit or creating a new defense altogether.

She had gotten much faster and much, much stronger. Her sparring sessions with Tobi usually left both of them covered in bruises now, but she knew he was holding back the majority of his strength. With her newfound speed, she got an idea.

If she could somehow keep her arms moving fast enough and emitting a constant Jyuken stream she could stand still while being surrounded by a shield. So far, all she could manage was near total protection of her front side, but she was flexible enough now to reach her back.

The sound of Tobi's now familiar portal opening made her stop her daydreaming. "Hello, little princess! I had an idea to help you with your new jutsu!"

Hinata noticed the wooden bucket in his hand, and she was immediately wary of any possible water to be thrown her way. "What is it, Tobi?"

The masked man held the bucket aloft, saying, "I'll throw these into the air, and you hit them all before they can hit the ground. And every round the pieces will get small and smaller, so you will have to be faster and more precise."

Hinata peered into the bucket and saw a multitude of leaves. It would be very, very difficult, but she was willing to bet on it working to some degree. Hinata flared her Byakugan, activating them and adopting a ready stance. "Let's give this a shot."

* * *

_Eleven months after Konoha Invasion_

Hinata was used to the swirling feeling by now, and the gray area was even more normal to her. Tobi had just taken her for yet another peek at Naruto, something that was becoming more and more frequent. He said that Naruto was leaving his secretive training grounds more and more to train as destructively as he likes to do. To be honest, Hinata found it hot as hell.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Tobi asked lightly, swinging his feet back and forth on the high stool he sat on. Hinata had convinced her friend to bring her more and more things to his little dimension, and she was honestly quite comfortable.

"Oh, nothing. Not naked Naruto that's for sure…" _oh Kami why did I say that!_

"Oh, you're already that age? That's adorable!"

_'I brought this on myself.' _Hinata's thoughts followed a deep blush. "I'm not even sixteen yet!"

Tobi's legs stopped swinging as he seemed deep in thought. "Sixteen, what an age to be. You know, I had my first woman when I was sixteen."

Hinata recoiled, taken aback by the personal information. Was it a sign that they were on trusting terms now? "Really? Sixteen?"

Tobi laughed then, "No, that's total bullshit!"

"Well… how old _are _you?" maybe she could still get some info on him yet.

"Hmm, I haven't counted years in so long… say, how old would you say that uh, Kakashi guy from your village is?"

Odd way to date oneself, but why not? "I would guess something around his mid-thirties? Maybe?"

"Then I am probably in my mid-thirties. Maybe."

There was a small lapse of silence, and before long Hinata found herself losing it. Usually when Tobi was around it was all training or jokes.

"Tobi? Are we… friends?"

The masked man sat still for nearly a minute, contemplating the question seriously. It had been so long since he had a real friend, and Hinata reminded him so much of _her…_

"Obito."

"What?"

"My name. My real name is Obito. Tobi is the name I use to… keep me safe. From Akatsuki and whoever else is interested."

Hinata was actually speechless. That was… huge. A simple yes would have done just fine, but she had no doubts now. Even if Naruto didn't want to help Tobi—

Obito

— with getting back the love of his life she would help him. And that meant Naruto would help him. How could she possibly show the amount of trust she had just been given in return?

"You don't have to say anything. Just know that I do see you as a friend, my only one as of now actually. I have a few things to get done today, I'll see you later little princess."

* * *

_Day of Naruto's meeting with Pain_

"Hinata! We have to take a field trip right freaking now!" Obito yelled as he entered his time-space.

Hinata was just finishing practicing her personal defense jutsu when Obito interrupted her, "Let me change out of my sweaty clothes first!"

"Five minutes, and I'll be back!" Obito quickly warped back out, leaving Hinata to rush to the water basin to rinse off a bit. She never passed up an opportunity for a field trip, they _always _involved seeing Naruto. And they'd only been almost caught once, so the track record was pretty good.

Rinsed and changed, Hinata waited for her masked friend to return. It didn't take him too long, and he was more frazzled than usual. It slightly worried her, but she didn't let herself get too worried.

"What's the occasion?" Hinata asked as she watched Obito fidget.

"Pain left his stronghold. He's going to intercept Naruto to test a few things, and this is the only time you'll probably get to see him in action until we fight him for real."

Hinata felt her heart jump. Pain was the man that Obito needed Naruto's help to defeat. If he was moving to fight Naruto now…

"He won't kill Naruto, not yet at least. And I'll have to keep us in a constant state of intangibility so no one senses us… with two of us, I can only really risk two and a half minutes… we won't have long but it'll have to do."

"Obito, what are you talking about!?" Hinata was almost hysterical.

"One of my… jutsu lets me become intangible. It's derived from my space-time jutsu. We'll need it so none of the hyper-aware people we'll be spying on can sense us. I'll also need you to have your Byakugan active."

"What? Why?"

"There's going to be something there that no eyes can actually see, and I'm hoping yours can."

It was a lot happening in a short amount of time, But Hinata had to try. For Obito. For Naruto.

"Let's go."

* * *

"What's with all of the rubble and dirt here? Who's that blind old guy? Why is Naruto just sitting in front of him?" Hinata's whispered questions fired off rapidly. To be fair she only had a couple of minutes to figure out everything.

"This used to be a pretty big town. Maybe a quarter the size of all of Konoha. That blind old guy is a body Pain is using. He's smart, and he switched out one of his bodies for one he doesn't actually use… clever of him. Keep his real look a secret. I don't know why Naruto is sitting down."

"What do you mean switched bodies? What kind of jutsu lets you do that other than the Yamanaka kind?"

"He has a special eye called the Rinnegan. It's more powerful than both the Byakugan and the Sharingan put together, and one of its many abilities is to control six different bodies. Each of them can have a separate power of the eye, but I don't know what they all are yet. The real Pain is using this old body to hide what he normally looks like."

Those eyes probably had something to do with Obito's plans then. "Why is he blindfolded?"

"So Naruto can't see his eyes. They'd be a dead giveaway."

"Then how can he see?"

"That's what your Byakugan is for. His best spying technique is actually a Summon. It's a massive chameleon, and it can't be sensed by anything other than some barrier jutsu. He refused to tell me anything else. Can you see it lurking around anywhere?"

"I don't see anything, but how would the summon help him?"

Obito was frustrated, but he tried not to let it show. "If you can't see the chameleon it's pointless. One of the Rinnegan's powers is that every person or summon that has a Rinnegan of its own shares vision. The chameleon has one, so he can see through that eye while that fake body is blindfolded."

Suddenly, everyone in the rubble field was standing, and then Naruto was blazing red with Kurama's power. Hinata tensed, ready to jump into the battle and help as much as she could.

Naruto fell to his knees, power gone. Hinata tried to move forward, but Obito's hand stopped her. Suddenly, she was back in her little pocket home, devastated by her inaction. "No! Naruto!"

There was a thump behind her, and she spun quickly. Obito had fallen to his side, shaking slightly. She was at his side in an instant, feeling guilty for not considering how difficult the feat must have been for him.

"Obito, Obito…" he wasn't responding to her, so she did the only thing she could think to do. The very thing she had dreamed about and was convinced would never happen.

She removed the mask.

She could understand why he wanted to never be seen without it. He bore a gruesome, twisted scar of some kind, and the entire right side of his face was twisted and disfigured. Somehow, that eye had survived, but his left socket was empty. Hinata ignored the sight and leaned close, placing her ear near her friend's mouth. She felt more than heard the small breath, and she sat back in relief.

Obito's one eyelid fluttered rapidly before opening slowly, and Hinata swore she saw a hint of red before it faded to black. Then, his eye widened in realization, and he turned away hastily while groping for his red mask.

"Why would you do that?!" his tone was both harsh and hurt, and Hinata's chest stung.

"I-I was worried about you…"

"Well, you didn't have to remove my fucking mask! You didn't have to LOOK AT ME!"

"I didn't kn-know what to do, Obito! I was scared for you and I just…"

"Just what, Hinata?" he didn't even call her little princess.

"I'm not a med-nin!" Hinata defended. "Maybe if I was I would have known the right thing to do, but I'm not, okay? I, I just did my best for you."

Obito had his mask back on now. And he sat with his back turned, his breaths coming heavy and hostile. "Whatever. Just train or whatever, I'll be back in a few days. We need to make contact with Naruto soon, and I have to go find out when the best time do it is."

Hinata didn't even get to say goodbye before he was gone, swirled into the mask he loved so much. She held back her tears, and she moved to make herself a small lunch. Life would go on, t was just a fight. All friends fought, but soon enough she'd be with Naruto again, and she could make it up to Obito.

* * *

**You guys all know what this means! Is that a reuniting scene I see around the corner? Oooh...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright, chapter 7. I'm exhausted, worked to the bone, but damn I will write for all yall. **

**don't own it tho**

* * *

"So can Kurama hear us if we talk to him?" Sakura asked as she walked down the trail with her team.

"When he's awake, yeah. He's actually pretty lazy," Naruto told her.

**"I'm awake, kit."**

"He's awake."

"Did you really have to leave a _crater _where that village used to be?" the team medic asked.

**"Tell her it was just my personal preference."**

"Seeing Pain's crater made him feel inadequate and now he's overcompensating."

**"The sheer amount of pure rage I feel towards you right now could likely kill a small village on its own."**

**_"_**_You're welcome, furball."_

Sakura spoke aloud after the brief internal exchange, "You know for some reason I don't think those were his exact words."

Sasuke gave a short laugh from his front position, "I for one thought it was pretty epic. Naruto just can't appreciate wanton destruction like we can, Kurama."

**"See, why couldn't all Uchiha be like him? I'd have no problem with them if that was the case."**

Naruto ignored his tenant in favor of retorting, "I'll have you know that I appreciate destruction _very much_, thank you."

"Boys, please don't let this mission devolve into a power-pissing contest," Sakura almost begged.

Ignoring his girlfriend, a grave mistake every man should be aware of, Sasuke continued to goad Naruto, "Well why don't you prove it? I can see the next village coming up, how about we see just what kind of 'destruction' you're capable of?"

"Don't go thinking you'll be able to match me, you broody son of a bitch," Naruto responded, his smile growing with every passing word.

"I really should have seen this coming."

Naruto sat cross-legged with a trio of clones, gathering what Nature chakra he would need. Sasuke sat up in a tree, his eyes trained on the distant village and the Kumo shinobi within it. Sakura was leaning against the trunk of the nearest tree, doing her best to look upset while hiding her curiosity.

"You know, Naruto, none of my jutsu require this much build up. Kinda seems like a drawback to me," Sasuke said from his perch.

"Yeah, well, I can't just push a few buttons and activate my 'special eyes' so I think you have a bit of an unfair advantage."

"You have a literal demon made of chakra fueling you."

"I won't be using any of his chakra for this."

"Still."

"Would you both _shut up?! _We're about to kill hundreds upon hundreds of people, and if we don't then there's a good chance that they'll kill hundreds of our people! How are you two so happy-go-lucky about this?"

There was silence for a few moments, both boys slightly sobered by their teammate's outburst. Naruto internally sighed and prepared one of his 'sage moments'. At least he was activating Sage Mode, it would be a bit more fitting.

"Sakura, that's exactly the reason we're doing our best to keep this light. It's our coping mechanism. I know I'm about to take away more lives than I care to count, and I can't bring myself to imagine the mother's, the father's, and the children who will have some of the most important people in their lives ripped away from them. I am more than willing to ensure that the same doesn't happen to the people in our own village, but that doesn't mean I'm totally okay with it. If I make it seem lighter, more like a game, then I feel like less of the monster that I know deep down that I am. Do you understand?"

**"Dayum. Still, you've had better."**

_"Shut up, I'm still new at this sage thing."_

Sakura looked to her now-silent boyfriend, likely for a similar answer. Sasuke didn't make her wait long for his response, "I mean Naruto's Naruto, but I guess I'm just a dick."

A clone popped into existence next to Sasuke, bopping him on the head before disappearing. Sasuke immediately said, "Okay, yeah he's right. The only real way I know how to deal with horrible things like this is to distance myself from the issue but making things lighter like this makes things seem more enjoyable. Happy?"

Naruto pulled a Sasuke and grunted in response, feeling almost ready to get moving.

Sakura was inside of her own head after the impromptu speeches. Is that why the boys seemed so much more at ease with doing these things? Because they're _forcing _themselves to be fine with it? Maybe it had something to do with what Sasuke said about trauma. Sakura hadn't really had anything horrible happen to her, so she never had to develop coping mechanisms… but they seemed to be a lot better off than her after these kinds of things, at least until she said something. Oh, Kami, was she being a bitch by accident whenever she brought this kind of thing up? She should at least give this method a try…

Sakura saw the trademark orange stripes appear on Naruto's face, and she gave a small smirk. "Since your magic make-up appeared over your eyes does that mean you can something more than just sit on your ass?"

Naruto's mouth dropped and his eyes snapped to the pink haired kunoichi. Sasuke laughed heartily from his tree branch.

Naruto closed his mouth, stood, and reached for a Hirashin kunai. "I think I liked it better when you were a party pooper. Just throw my damn kunai."

Sakura laughed, already feeling better about everything. Well, that's what she'd tell herself. Then she hurled the kunai as she did before, sending it about a mile and directly over the distant village. A few seconds passed, and then every present Naruto was gone.

* * *

Saru brushed back her blond hair as she bustled about the streets of whatever backwater Frost village she was in. Things were starting to get a bit hectic in the higher ranks, and it had trickled all the way down to her. She was nothing more than mid-class chunin, she shouldn't have to know about and have to deal with this kind of stuff.

Apparently, there had been no word or reports in from their neighboring occupied village. The scouting report from them was supposedly over an hour and a half late, and rumor had it that Konoha had sent out an elite team to hunt for Kumo heads. Such rumor was absolutely preposterous. Konoha had no way of knowing that Frost had already sided with Kumo. AND Konoha was never known for such violent, open conflict. Bunch of tree hugging pussies if you asked Saru.

Suddenly an alarm went off. The East sensors sounded off the air raid alarm, but there were no black skies of metal flying towards them. Saru peered into the Eastern sky as every Kumo shinobi in the small village poured into the streets, ready to use a defensive jutsu against the rain of kunai and shuriken that never came.

There, almost directly above them now, was a single, fast-moving kunai. Everyone, including Saru, stared up in confusion. That confusion then turned to shock as there was then a bright, golden flash of light before a silhouette was revealed in place of the kunai. This could be very bad news.

* * *

Naruto was momentarily suspended in the air, his hood flapping yet remaining on, the second seeming frozen to his excited nerves. He held the Hirashin kunai in a reverse grip with his right hand as he stared straight down onto a group of Kumo nin. Before he could start to fall, he hurled the kunai at the emptiest section of the street below him with all his strength. He felt it dig into the packed earth with blinding speed, and he flashed once more while calling his clones.

Naruto and his clones flashed onto the street whilst each smashing dual Rasengan into the ground, blowing back everyone in a twenty-foot radius. It had no real impact on the destruction of the village, but Naruto was certain it must have looked awesome.

The real Naruto stood slowly, his clones staying in a kneeling position with their now empty palms flat on the ground. They all had the trademark hoods on, so while no one could see his identity they would all know his name.

Naruto looked around and saw the crowd growing, and he decided to get things started.

**"I'm going to want to be paying attention for this one, I can tell."**

_"You have no idea, big guy!"_

"Hello, my soon to be dead friends!" Naruto called out cheerily.

The murmur of the crowd was soon drowned out by the drawing of a hundred weapons. And counting.

"I've come on the behalf of Konoha, and it is my duty to let you all know that I will have the personal pleasure of wiping this place off the map. I do think I will need at least one survivor to bring the word of me home, though. Do I have any volunteers?"

Naruto cocked his head, waiting for an answer. There were many whispers going around, "Konoha's shadow Reaper…" "Jinchuriki…" "Where's the commander?"

"I'll make it easier for you all. The first person to attack me will get to live. Deal?"

Naruto smiled beneath his mask as he saw a red-faced blond chunin charge at him, sword drawn. She was clumsy at best, but she had the heart, poor thing.

Naruto flicked the incoming sword with his left hand, shattering the blade completely as he buried a knee into the gut of the rushing woman. She cried out and fell to her knees as shouts were called about of her stupidity. Apparently, she should have waited for the commander, but Naruto admired her bravery.

"Don't go calling her stupid for being bold enough to charge!" he called out. "If anything, all of YOU are stupid for not running away yet. Then again… it's been a while since I've slaughtered any of your people, so I understand the need for a reminder."

Naruto heard the grumbles of the woman at his feet and leaned down to listen better. "My… brother… you killed my brother…"

"Was he one of the many missing-nin then? Or was he in the last village I let the Kyuubi destroy for shits and giggles?"

There was a pained grunt, but no response. Naruto moved in closer. "What's your name then?"

"… Saru."

"Well, Saru, if it's a blood feud you want, I can do that. I can promise lots… and lots of blood."

"WHAT is the meaning of this?" a powerful voice called out.

Naruto turned and saw yet another blond woman striding onto the scene, dressed in what was clearly a commander's uniform. It did nothing to hide her chest, though… wait a second! Samui!

"I get a report of a single intruder and you lot needed _me _to take care of it? Pathetic. This is the most un-cool assignment I've ever been given."

"Samui, it's good to see you again!" Naruto called out, resting a hand atop the downed Saru's head.

The older woman looked confused at first, but the realization soon dawned on her. It was the faceless jinchuriki of Konoha. That was why no one wanted to attack him without someone to give them orders and backup.

"Naruto. I can't say I'm just as happy to see you. Why do you have one of my shinobi on her knees in front of you?"

Naruto laughed then. "Not what I think you want it to be, that's for sure. I need a witness to me destroying this place, and she volunteered by attacking me. It was this whole verbal agreement thing that you missed, don't worry your pretty head about it."

Samui raised an eyebrow. "And you think her word would be taken? You'd need me, at the least."

Naruto shrugged, and then knelt next to Saru again. "Sorry, little girl, but it looks like I don't need you anymore. Deal's off. On the bright side, I'll give you some of that blood you wanted so badly."

His hand dropped from the back of her head to the back of her neck, and before she could blink her neck was snapped. A quick, painless death.

Samui did her best to come across as unruffled. "That was unnecessary. Can we take our fight outside of the village to spare the buildings?"

Naruto laughed loudly then, going as far as to slap the side of his knee. "Oh, Samui, both of the reasons I can't are hilarious! One, my entire purpose is to destroy this place!" More laughter.

"And the second?"

Naruto stopped laughing abruptly, "There won't be a fight."

All at once the four masked Naruto's released what Power they could, and most of the shinobi were brought to both knees or the ground entirely. The street beneath him was cracked and stressed from the combined effort, and a normal clone slapped a tag on Samui before dragging her back to the real Naruto.

"Are you happy this war was started because your little piece of ass left you and you can't find her?" Samui desperately said anything to distract him and maybe cause an opening.

Naruto remained silent for a few seconds, and then the feeling of Power changed. Now it was much darker, sinister and foreboding. He was releasing an overwhelming amount of Malice now.

"You know what? I was faking it before, but I'm actually going to enjoy this now. Samui, I really wish that someone like you could know what being in love felt like. Because then I'd make sure that you drowned in the blood of those who loved you for that."

The unmasked clone holding her tightened its grip, and she saw every other masked Naruto form a Rasengan in each hand. That jutsu was destructive, but nowhere near powerful enough to take out the village like he claimed he would.

Samui blanched when she saw another element of the jutsu start to form. Before long, every Naruto was straining to hold a pair of Rasengan-based shuriken looking jutsu. Samui could feel the power radiating off of them, and she felt truly afraid.

"Now, Samui. Look on in despair… and relearn what it means to _fear_."

Every Naruto jumped high into the air then, including the one holding Samui. All she could really do WAS watch, so she did.

Every Naruto threw both of his Rasengan things, and the people below were too crushed by his Malice to move to defend themselves. Not that it would make too much of a difference, it would take three entire barrier teams to stop this onslaught.

Samui's eyes widened in horror when she saw what was happening. There was one of those jutsu at each cardinal gate, and the other four were spread evenly between the others. All at once, each one seemed to implode before expanding rapidly, vaporizing buildings and people caught in the expanding white sphere. Each one met another, and no inch of the village was left untouched. As the Naruto's began their decent with Samui, the orbs all faded from existence, and three of the Naruto's popped.

Naruto landed in the near middle of a flat, featureless landscape. On the outer ring of where the village once stood was a lip of the ground about three feet above the smooth dirt Naruto, his clone, and Samui was on.

"Well, now that that's out of the way I guess you can go home."

Samui was actually speechless. She found it hard to move and couldn't access her chakra due to the tag, but she wanted nothing more than to both rip apart and run away from this Jinchuriki. Killer Bee never did anything this reckless… or destructive…

"I might see you around, I might not. Oh, but if I do, I'll have to kill you. Can't have you surviving two encounters with me, bad for the ol' rep ya know? Also, if you talk about Hinata like that again, I'll make you watch as I release Kurama on Kumo before barraging it with more of that jutsu. Okay, love you bye."

And he left. Samui was left alone, shaking and powerless in the dirt, likely amongst the remains of the people that had looked up to and relied on her. She wasn't feeling very cool anymore.

* * *

"Okay, I take it back. That white wall of all-destroying power was pretty badass. What was it?" Sasuke asked when Naruto flashed back to the group.

"Really fucking complicated. I've had clones training with it this entire mission back with the toads, and I can only pull it off in Sage Mode because it enhances my chakra control. Still, it gets the job done."

"Chakra control, you say? So, is it something you could teach me?" Sakura asked immediately.

"Probably not. Just one full one takes up about as much chakra as Kakashi has. I just fired eight of them off, and even I'd be feeling the hit to the reserves if it wasn't all Nature chakra."

Sasuke almost recoiled at that. "What jutsu uses that much chakra? That's pretty impractical."

Naruto smirked. "Only the jutsu that is the pinnacle of both chakra shape manipulation and the wind element. I combined wind with the Rasengan, something that my dad, Jiraiya, and Kakashi all failed to do." Considering the feat, Naruto felt a little justified in gloating.

"Hn," Sasuke kept his response short.

"Really? I create one of the most powerful jutsu known to man and all I get is a 'HN'?"

"It's impressive, sure. I'll just make a better one with Lightning is all."

"Oh sure, whatever," Naruto sarcastically agreed.

"If you two would focus a bit, we still have to watch Sasuke take a place out before I get my turn. Can we move along?"

"That's the spirit, babe. Embrace the madness."

Naruto pointed West, signaling Sasuke to retake the lead.

**"That was pretty impressive, kit. That eight jutsu trick of yours is almost as powerful as my Bijudama."**

_"Kami, how strong are those fucking things?"_

**"Not strong enough, since your father managed to teleport one to save Konoha."**

_"Holy shit."_

**"Holy shit, indeed, kit."**

Pops was way more badass than people have been letting on. Must run in the family or something, who knows.

"Naruto, Sasuke said you went out of your way to save someone. What was up with that?" Sakura asked as they traveled.

"Leaving at least one survivor is something we should all do. I'll tell you why afterward, I promise."

**"Should I have done that as well?" **

_"I didn't even bother asking you, of all people."_

**"Smart."**

"Sasuke, you know your plan for your village? They'll probably be on high alert by now since communication has been down with their sister outposts."

"Easy. You flash me in, grab someone to watch, you flash out, and I burn it to the ground."

Sakura interjected then, "You're so simple, Sasuke. You're lucky you're cute."

* * *

Outpost number three had the forest cut away a quarter mile away, in almost a perfect circle around the village. They had most of the lumber hauled in and in the process of making even more fortifications, and the field of stumps would be turned into a mixture of a landmine and spike field. Any invading force would have a hell of a time getting in. A report had been sent to Kumo itself about the loss of communication with two other outposts in the East, and now sensors were on high alert for an invading Konoha force.

The commander of this Outpost was an older, war-tested veteran named Hans. He had made it through the last war with nothing more than a few scars, and he had been entrusted with an officer's position in this one. It was something he would be sure to keep. None of those Konoha tree huggers would catch him off guard, that was for sure.

"Sir, Sensors have detected three unfamiliar signatures in the East, quickly approaching the tree line," a chunin reported in. Hans nodded once, set down his tea, and stood. After tightening the armor on his chest and shoulders, he moved to the East Sensor Bay.

When Hans walked into the room full of Sensors, he immediately asked, "What's the situation? Have they done anything that warrants suspicion?"

"No sir, they've just been standing and seemingly talking. That or standing idly, but they have to know by now that we know of them."

Hans rubbed his chin in thought. Strange indeed.

"Wait, sir, one of them just threw a kunai towards the outpost."

"And they think it'll reach us? We're a quarter of a mile away!"

"The trajectory suggests this person overshot us by another quarter of a mile."

Hans was shaken a little by that, but it was still just a kunai. Nothing that could have eliminated outposts as the rumors suggested. If it was just three people, then it was more likely that they were shooting down hawks and picking off messengers.

"Sir one of them disappeared!"

"Uh…. I found him… He's above us."

Wait, a kunai, one of them disappears and shows up where the kunai was…. Oh, this could get messy.

A jonin burst into the room, looking more than a bit worried. "Captain Hans, a masked figure appeared above the outpost and threw a three-pronged kunai into the street. No one is willing to touch it and we are waiting for orders."

Hans looked at the sensor that had spoken the most in his presence, silently asking for an update.

"All three of them are back in their original spot, standing still again. Likely talking."

With that, Hans made his way out to the streets with his men.

* * *

Sasuke took a deep breath, preparing for his fire and brimstone 'performance'. That's what Naruto was calling it anyway.

"Alright, Sasuke, there's a pretty good crowd around the kunai now. Ready to flash in?"

"You remember the new plan, right? Naruto can't take away the survivor if you want him to hear you," Sakura added.

"Let's just do this. I plan to take half as long as Naruto did."

"Whatever you say, pretty boy," Naruto smirked as he grabbed Sasuke's arm. A flash or two later and Naruto was standing there alone, smiling at Sakura in anticipation for the stories that would come out of this one.

* * *

Sasuke stood silently amidst the crowd of enemy shinobi. His eyes black and emotionless. They all stared first at him, and then around the area frantically for more flashes. Sasuke grinned internally, showing nothing on his face. I was a skill all Uchiha babies were apparently born with. His plan was to play off of the dark character Naruto made for him. Maybe it would become his battle persona? That could be fun.

"Identify yourself! Are you one of the Keepers of Konoha's Jinchuriki?" a man who was clearly in charge shouted.

Now Sasuke allowed himself to smile. "Keepers? No, mortal, I am one of his two companions. To fear his name more than my presence must be... the height of human folly."

"Two companions? The Uchiha and the Pink Bitch?" another voice asked loudly from the back.

Sasuke's eyes flashed red, and he was able to pick out the man getting pats on his back for the comment. He would not be one of the survivors. Sasuke laughed along at the tail end of their laughter, quieting them down in their confusion.

"Pink Bitch, that's funny. I'll be sure to make your death a painful one."

Now everyone was shifting on their feet. The commander spoke up again, "You're the Uchiha, then. But the Uchiha, even at the height of their power, weren't gods! You're just a delusional brat riding on the Kyuubi's fame. You'll die today!" there were scattered cheers at that.

"Do you know nothing, insect? Naruto doesn't need to be here. There is ALWAYS death in his after-flash."

Sasuke started to leak fire from the corners of his mouth, a trick Itachi had shown him for shits and giggles. Sasuke spoke quietly then, "I never said that the Uchiha were gods. But what if _I _am?"

Before the commander could speak out to calm his troops, Sasuke continued louder and with the amplification jutsu active.

"A day of reckoning comes for us all! Whether it be death, a mortal jury, or the choice a god makes for you," murmurs were abundant after that. "Kumo shinobi!" fire was streaming down Sasuke's sides and pooling at his feet in a blaze now, and Sasuke's arms were spread wide as if inviting a hug. "Gaze upon me and rejoice! I come to tell you one thing. Your day of Reckoning… has come."

There was an explosion of chakra surrounding Sasuke, and the purple bones of Susanoo enveloped him quickly. Before long, Sasuke was towering above buildings and people alike, the top half of Susanoo balancing on the ethereal spine. Sasuke's Susanoo was holding a massive blade of Chakra, and his Eternal Mangekyo blazed in his skull.

"Did you not hear me? REJOICE!" and with that, Sasuke used an extended Amaterasu along the perimeter of the village, leaving a twenty-foot-wide swath of black flame entrapping everyone.

Shinobi started to panic. Only the Uchiha of legends were supposed to be able to summon… whatever this thing was. Jutsu was fired off, and they all fell useless against the bones of the massive skeleton. Sasuke swung his sword quickly, destroying all the buildings close to him and killing many of the people below him (Sasuke made sure that the guy he had singled out was one of them). Another swing finished off the buildings behind him, and the fire was steadily spreading inwards.

Still using the amplification technique, Sasuke announced, "That is the extent of my will. For those few of you who will survive my hellfire, know that you've been spared."

Sasuke cut Susanoo suddenly and entered a freefall. That was Naruto's signal to flash him out of there, and Sasuke hoped that his hand-made Hirashin seals worked as well as he kunai version.

* * *

A flash later and Sasuke was looking at a smiling Sakura and a grumpy Naruto.

"I knew that you would completely rely on your hacked eyes, you know. That's so unfair! 'Here, let me just cover myself in a fucking invincible skeleton and shoot fire from my gods-damned eyeballs!'"

Sasuke laughed once before replying with, "Naruto, you can literally pull the Kyuubi from the palm of your hand. Now give me some refill tags, I'm exhausted."

Naruto's face went blank and there was silence aside from the sound of a burning village and the screams of the damned. "Actually, yeah good point. We'll call it even."

"As much fun as that likely was," Sakura started indignantly, "I'm gonna show you boys how a medic does things. _Efficiently._"

* * *

Team 7 stood looking at the last village they had to eliminate, and it was all on Sakura this time.

"Alright Naruto, just give me an extra kunai, and when we get over the village just drop me."

"What?"

"Drop me."

"Yeah, that's what I thought I heard."

Sasuke interrupted the exchange, "As much as I love that plan, I hate that plan."

Sakura kissed his frowning lips reassuringly. "Don't worry, out of all of us I'm the best with plans."

**"She's got a point."**

_"She's got a point," _Naruto thought at the same time.

"You've got a point," Sasuke said. "Alright, kick ass out there."

Sakura smiled, used her Hundred Healing seal, and then opened up the third gate immediately. Sasuke backed away and covered her eyes. Sakura adopted Lee's stance for opening gates, and after about five seconds her concentration was interrupted by the many warning sirens of the village. Oh, they had no idea.

Soon enough, the fourth gate opened for her, and she threw the kunai Naruto gave her. She only tossed it, really. It still went sailing over the village.

Sakura felt the familiar tug and saw the flash, and then she was plummeting to the Earth below. She cocked her fist back, opened her mouth, and let loose a terrifying war cry as she descended faster and faster.

Naruto flashed back in next to Sasuke, his eyes trained on the falling figure. And was that…. Yelling? "Is that her yelling? I can hear it from here. She's loud, Sasuke."

There was no response from the Uchiha, so Naruto dropped it. He saw her fall below the building line, and there was a deep _whump._ At first, nothing happened, but then Naruto saw rubble and dust fly, and all the ground for fifty yards around the village collapsed in on itself. Buildings were crumbled, and it was over in seconds.

"Damn! She really is efficient, eh Sasuke?" Naruto asked excitedly.

This time when there was no response, Naruto turned to his teammate. Sasuke wasn't watching the show at all, instead, he was staring blankly behind Naruto. Naruto was about to question him, but the Uchiha flapped his jaw once as he pointed to something behind Naruto.

Naruto turned slowly, preparing for any of the horrible things that have ever left Sasuke speechless. Maybe Orochimaru?

Standing there, back against a tree and as shy as ever, was one Hinata Hyuga. She smiled lightly and waved at the shocked blond in front of her. Naruto immediately reached for a Kunai, spun it twice, and then stabbed himself in the thigh. Her eyes widened when he hurt himself, but she saw it heal right afterward and went back to silent smiling.

Nothing mattered to Naruto at that moment. His entire being was focused on the beautiful girl in front of him. She had grown over the last year, and her old clothes likely didn't fit her anymore. That would explain the new clothes. The new, well fitting, amazing clothes. She kept to the light gray color scheme, and the nostalgia hit Naruto hard. Memories flashed by faster than he could think.

"Well, do I get a hug or not?" she asked quietly.

Naruto grinned and flew forward, crashing into her. He wrapped her up in his arms and then hid two Hirashin markers on her back as he kissed her for the first time in a year. Their lips locked together for only a couple of heated seconds, and then they were forced to break the seal due to infectious smiles. Nothing could tear this moment away from Naruto.

* * *

Sakura stood amongst the rubble, stabbing her kunai into the dirt repeatedly. "Why the hell isn't this thing working? If he's playing a prank on me, I'm going to castrate him!"

* * *

Naruto broke away from his princess and looked her up and down at arm's length. He saw her doing the same.

"This is amazing! Oh, Kami I've missed you so much!" Naruto ranted. "Did you hear I started a war for you?"

Hinata shook her head and laughed lightly. "Why don't I doubt that at all?"

"Probably because he's a good boyfriend," Sasuke interjected. The pair of looks he received only made him shrug and sit down.

**"What a wingman!"**

"Where have you been?" Naruto asked her.

Before Hinata could answer, another, masked man stepped out from behind a different tree. "She's been with me. Tobi. I took her from Konoha, and it's nice to finally meet you, Naruto."

Naruto looked at this stranger with an immediate dislike and mistrust in his eyes. Things only got worse when he caught a glimpse of Tobi's cloak.

Naruto pushed Hinata behind him and activated Kurama's perfect cloak, not messing around with tails like he did with Pain. "AKATSUKI!"

Naruto blurred from sight, appearing behind Tobi and whiffing with a Rasengan aimed at his mask. Naruto blasted backward towards Hinata, still intent on defending her. Sasuke came onto the scene in much the same manner Naruto did, his Chidori missing Tobi's chest by inches. Hinata was yelling something, but Naruto was too focused on the Akatsuki member to understand.

Naruto shot off a Vacuum Wave lateral to the ground, forcing Tobi to jump. As soon as he landed, Naruto was there shoving a Rasengan through his head. Sasuke was right next to him, his Chidori plunged into the man's chest.

"Are you boys done yet?" Tobi's calm voice asked.

Naruto's hand was going _through his head, _but he felt nothing there. Almost as if he were a genjutsu. Sasuke jutsu was doing the same, going through his body and doing no damage.

"Naruto! I'm trying to tell you that Obito is my FRIEND!" Hinata called out in near panic. She didn't want anyone to hurt each other here.

Naruto's Rasengan dissipated, and he pulled his hand back before looking at his girlfriend. "Hinata, how do you know that name?"

Sasuke also retracted his arm, and Tobi sighed. "It was a name she wasn't supposed to use around you, but I guess it can't be helped now. Naruto, my real name is Obito, Tobi is the cover name I've been using to infiltrate the Akatsuki."

Naruto made no movement or sound after hearing that. Sasuke was about to ask him why, but he was interrupted by his own lady friend.

"I got him!" Sakura shouted as she appeared from nowhere, surprising literally everyone. Her fist actually made contact with Obito's mask, and the man was sent flying back into his tree. Sakura must have really surprised him if he didn't do his ghost things, but at least now Naruto knew he was real. A real ghost at least.

"Sakura, you just possibly killed Hinata's friend that's been maybe watching over her over this last year," Sasuke deadpanned. "What was his name, Naruto?"

Sakura blushed in embarrassment and apologized to Hinata before rushing over to Obito's side and lifting his head into her lap. His mask fell away, and his single good eye looked around frantically in a concussed daze. Everyone froze in place at the sight, the sight of his Mangekyo Sharingan looking around.

"Obito. His name is Obito Uchiha."

* * *

"Wait a minute," Sakura stood and yelled. "Hinata when did we find you?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone! I'm back with a very special installment, and we'll be getting a taste of why this one is rated M... That being said, Kiddos will only really be able to read the first three-quarters of this one if you're here for plot alone. Wouldn't recommend reading the last scene in public, if ya catch my drift.**

* * *

Naruto walked in between Obito and Hinata, their pace almost leisurely. Sasuke was with Sakura about fifty yards ahead, far enough to give the threesome privacy yet close enough to give support if it was needed.

Hinata's hand was entwined with Naruto's, and Obito had a new, non-shattered mask on his face. The man walked with a few feet between him and Naruto, doing his best to calm his nerves. This was the most important part of his plan, for if he could enlist Naruto's help he would have all of Team 7 on his side. Unfortunately, that would likely include Kakashi.

"Well, Obito, or would you prefer Tobi?" Naruto asked, almost accusing with his tone but also genuinely curious.

Obito coughed lightly, warming up his throat after the lengthy silence. "Obito is fine when it's just us, but in public, I would prefer Tobi. Especially around the Akatsuki members."

Naruto considered continuing the topic but shook his head to himself. "First thing's first, when and why did you steal away Hinata?"

"That one's easy enough to answer, even if it was a year ago," Obito started. "I was watching your chunin exams. Mainly, I was watching you. If I wasn't wearing my mask my surprise when Itachi showed up would have given me away for sure! I met and recruited him during a… difficult time in my life. Before I knew what my true goal was."

"This is a lot of build-up for a simple question."

"Oh, sorry. I've only been able to talk to Hinata for as long as I can remember, so please understand if I'm a bit… rusty in the social department."

Naruto thought back to his genin days. He had been much the same way in only a few years, he would definitely find himself able to cut Obito some slack. Especially if he was _that _Obito.

"Anyway, after the Invasion started, I sunk into the shadows to observe. It's one of my specialties, you see. I saw Hinata with your Uzumaki group, and since I wanted to eventually ask you for your help, I decided to tail them and keep them safe. I took out a few Suna ninja for them before I saw a large group of Iwa and Kumo nin approaching. Now, I knew that your villages were currently on friendly terms and they weren't part of the invasion, so I didn't act."

Naruto had to steel himself after the story reached that point. He had all the information he needed to incriminate Iwa and Kumo, but now he had to hear the story all over again.

"Once they engaged with Zabuza I knew something was wrong. I immediately teleported back to my pocket space and then quickly left to get one of the Akatsuki's… projects. Perfect Clones, we'll call them. I had one transform into Hinata, and I went back to make the switch. She would be the only one that they were targeting so it was an easy decision."

Naruto was about to ask why Obito chose to save Hinata and not, say, Karin, but his hastily added final sentence satisfied him.

"When I got back, Zabuza was down, Hinata and Haku were fighting for Karin, and Hinata was getting surrounded. I had the clone reprogram to hold his state for weeks after death, and after pouring chakra into him I made the switch. Two of the shinobi attacking her saw me, so I killed them as well. Now, none of us knew about the Cage Seal on her now, so the clone wasn't actually perfect."

The thought of Akatsuki possessing these 'perfect clones' worried Naruto. Granted there wasn't really anything he could do aside from asking Obito about them.

"Does Akatsuki have any other… Projects we should be worried about?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

Obito seemed to struggle for a second, staying quiet for a bit longer than he normally would have. "Yes. I really would like to specify, but if I loosen my tongue before I pull out of there fully Pain will hunt me down."

Again, Naruto understood the apprehension. Pain was a very powerful and dangerous man. "Okay, I can accept all that. Now, why did you wait so long to bring Hinata back to me?"

Hinata perked up at this part as well. She had heard everything up until now at least twice, but this was a question Obito had usually shied away from.

"Honestly? It wasn't as necessary as I'd believed. I apologize deeply for that, but I wanted to make sure she'd be safe out in the world once she left my safe-area. So once she healed up as much as possible we started training."

"You don't think I'd have been able to protect her?" Naruto asked heatedly

"That was the last thing I was worried about, honestly! But you have to admit that there are times when you can't be around. And I imagine that Hinata would like to be her own woman and perfectly capable kunoichi herself."

Naruto looked at her briefly and saw her nod. "She could have received training in Konoha."

"Konoha was a mess. War was looming, and she would have been the focal point of everything. Do you honestly think there would have been time for her to train?"

"We could have prevented a war!"

"Expediated it, you mean? Her returning doesn't change the fact that the attempt was made. Either Iwa and Kumo would have denied it and started the war, or they would have admitted it, which would have started a war. Would you be as ready for war as you are now if you had a month to prepare instead of a year? What of your team?"

Naruto remained silent. His anger was palatable, but again he saw Obito's reasons.

**"He's right, kit. As much as it pains me to say it, Hinata staying away was for the best. Hopefully, she got stronger as well, because that would be the best possible outcome from this that I can see."**

_"Is it bad that even though I know you're right I'm still pissed?" _

**"I've gone into berserk rages over less."**

_"Ah, thanks."_

"Naruto," Hinata tugged on his hand, "All that matters is that I'm back now, and we can make the most of it."

The three of them smiled after that, although Obito's was hidden.

"Well then, Obito. Time for the big question. I think you already know what it's about," Naruto gave a pulse of Calm, and Sakura made her way back with Sasuke. This was something that would concern all of Team 7, especially Sasuke.

"Actually, can it wait for tonight at camp? It's a rather long story," Obito asked once the team had been brought back together. The two of them looked at Naruto, seeming to speak with their eyes. Hinata was still in the dark about the deeper meaning behind all of the worry.

"Fine, but you _will _tell us everything."

* * *

Naruto sat on a log, Hinata resting on his sleeping pad in front of him and leaned back in between his legs onto his stomach. His hands rested around her middle, hands locked in contentment. Sasuke and Sakura were sitting next to him, the latter leaned onto the former's shoulder.

Naruto had never noticed anything out of the ordinary before, but now he felt much more complete than he had in months.

**"Don't lie to yourself. Ever since she left."**

_"Go back to bed, you lazy ass." _The short chuckle of amusement was the only response.

Across the fire and on another downed log was a ripple in the air. Within a couple of seconds, Naruto watched as Obito stepped out of the ripple. Once he sat down he seemed to take a deep, nervous breath.

"All right, ask away."

Naruto wasted no time, "Why didn't you come back to Konoha after the mission with the Kannabi Bridge?"

There was a soft silence, broken by the crackling of the small fire. Obito took a deep breath before shakily saying, "You couldn't start out lighter, huh? What about my favorite color or something?"

Sasuke spoke then, "What's so important about a bridge, Naruto? Shouldn't we be asking him why he has been hiding his Uchiha blood while the Clan has been suffering? Or something more… relevant?"

Obito shook his head, "There's more to this whole thing than you think, Sasuke."

"The mission to destroy the Kannabi Bridge in Kusa was led by my dad, back before he was Hokage. He took his full team to Kusa."

Sakura's eye's widened dramatically, while Sasuke's narrowed. Hinata asked, "That was… so long ago though… why would you ask about that now?"

"You're Kakashi-sensei's friend who gave him his Sharingan. You're supposed to be dead," Sakura whispered.

Hinata's head snapped to her newest friend at that, and he only nodded solemnly. "I am. I didn't die in the landslide."

Sasuke's voice carried heat and anger now, indignant and defensive in honor of his sensei. "You know that you are the root of years and years of Kakashi's depression, right?"

Naruto didn't let Obito answer, "I'll ask again, why didn't you come back?"

This was getting just as messy as Obito had imagined it. "Well, I assume that only Naruto knows the full story since he recognized my name, so I'll start from the bridge."

"Kakashi and I had finally started to get along. For the longest time, we were at best reluctant teammates... but I always looked up to him. We had a… disagreement regarding our third teammate and we ended up splitting up after a decision was made."

"Rin, right?" Naruto pressed.

Obito winced but nodded.

"Anyway, Kakashi ended up changing his mind and joined me, and we got into a fight with a higher level jonin. Kakashi ended up losing his eye, and I activated my Sharingan. We did rescue Rin, but I ended up sacrificing myself for her. The entirety of my right side was crushed in a landslide, and I wanted my dying wish to be Kakashi receiving my eye to replace his. His Chidori wouldn't be complete without it according to Sensei, and I owed him a promotion present anyway, ya know? All I remember is Rin crying as she took out my eye, Kakashi talking softly to us both, and then darkness. I… I died happy."

"I hate to break it to you, but you aren't exactly dead," Hinata piped up.

A small breathy laugh was all Obito showed as a reaction. "I was saved and revived by _another _supposedly dead Uchiha. You all probably know him as Madara."

This time not even the fire seemed to make a noise. The weight of the silence was intense. Naruto broke the tension with, "How is he still alive and what else is he known as?"

"How _was _he alive, you mean. He died a few years after saving me. And he survived by some… unconventional means. He cultivated DNA from Hashirama and planted it into himself for the regenerative properties. It's actually how he saved me."

Obito pulled up his long sleeve, showing that his right arm was almost completely white.

"Regardless, I was in awe of him. He was a legend within the Uchiha, even if it was in infamy. He used that against me, and eventually, I became so enthralled with him that it was more than easy enough to trick me into doing his will. I did a lot of… horrible things under him."

"Was it Madara or was it you who released the Kyuubi on Konoha?" Naruto asked suddenly.

"I did that, personally. I fought against my former sensei and was more than happy to do so for Madara."

**"Let me kill him."**

The request was made calmly, with no change in tone or volume. There was no overwhelming rage in the words. Kurama asked Naruto this favor with nothing but cold, calm hatred.

"Kurama would like nothing more than to kill you for that alone. Finding you for him was the only reason he ever agreed to work with me in the first place," Naruto informed the guilty man.

"He has every right to. I haven't considered myself a 'good person' in a very, very long time."

"Is your only defense that Madara was _manipulative?" _Sasuke asked incredulously.

"For the first bit that I knew him, there was a subtle genjutsu over me, likely to influence me towards him and his goals. I didn't know until after… After I awoke my Mangekyo."

"How did it happen?" Sasuke demanded. Everyone could tell that it was a painful memory, but considering how one acquired the eyes, that was inevitable.

Obito was, of course, reluctant at first, but knew he had to give in if he wanted a chance at their help. "It was when I watched Kakashi pierce our third teammate's heart, Rin, with a Chidori."

Everyone seemed to recoil at that. Naruto took it especially hard since he had never gotten full detail from his uncle about the incident. All Kakashi had told him was that Rin had used him to sacrifice herself for the good of Konoha, and it was the last bit of sanity that she took with her. That, and Kakashi woke up to a field of corpses, but that was much less traumatizing.

"I had been watching them for some time, but since I wasn't at full strength my guardian urged me to not interfere. Rin… sacrificed herself. Kiri had some plot involving her making it back to Konoha, and she paid the ultimate price to keep our home safe."

"Then you're the one who killed everyone there?" Naruto asked slowly, having digested the information the quickest.

"I… I guess so. I don't really remember much of the fight, only that for a short time I was using Mokuton and my eye had changed. I watched over them until Kakashi woke up, and then I left to mourn on my own. After that, I was so… empty that even without the genjutsu on me it was easy for Madara to manipulate me."

Sasuke looked first at Sakura, then at Naruto, and finally back to Sakura. He could empathize with Obito, all of Team 7 could. Kaito was brought to the forefront of all three of their mind's, and their hearts throbbed once in memory of their friend.

"Wait," Hinata interjected, "Is… is Rin who you want to bring back?"

Obito nodded, but everyone else stared wide-eyed at the two of them. Sakura spoke up next, "You're trying to bring someone back to life? That's… that's not how any of this works!"

"That's why Pain is ultimately my enemy. I need his eyes because at the cost of one's eyes and life, you can restore life to those long passed."

"What makes you think the Rinnegan can even do that? You said you don't know its full capabilities," Naruto prodded.

"Madara's original plan was for Pain to collect all the Biju before getting taken over by Zetsu. Zetsu would force Pain to use the technique, and Madara would come back. The amount of time someone has been dead increases the strain and the requirements of the jutsu, so I fully expect bringing Rin back to kill me."

There was silence around the group. It was uneasy, and uncomfortable for everyone within it.

**"I don't like this. One, I'm supposed to kill him. Two, he's absolutely crazy."**

"Obito, have you thought this through at all?" Naruto asked.

"Every night since I found out Madara's plan. He gave me no failsafe if I ever decided to not follow through, other than Zetsu himself. It's pretty simple, really. We take care of Pain, win for you. I trade my life for Rin's, win for Kakashi and for me…"

"Obito," Hinata said softly. "Even if she does come back, what then? Everyone she knew is thirty years older now. Wouldn't she come back at like, thirteen?"

"She'll be able to live the life that was robbed from her."

_"He's sincere."_

**"I know."**

_"what do we do?"_

**"I don't know. I still hate him, though."**

_"I know."_

**"… The RIGHT thing to do would probably be to ask Kakashi. Ask Kakashi if I can kill him."**

_"We really have to work on your rage boners. You get unreasonable when you're hard."_

**"I need you to literally never say that again, thanks."**

"Well, Naruto, what do we do about this?" Sakura asked. She knew by now that he was talking with Kurama, but the silence was getting too awkward to bear.

"The only thing I can really come up with is getting Kakashi's opinion. Maybe some help for Obito to get over past traumas and to come back to Konoha."

"Kami, there's just so much happening all at once," Sasuke started. "We've got Hinata back, and now we have to open communications with the other villages to let them know we have her back and the attack was legit. Sensei's teammate is actually alive, and he wants to bring back someone else. We met the LEADER OF THE AKATSUKI during this mission, for fuck's sake."

"I guess there's no getting around talking to Kakashi, eh?" Obito tried to joke.

"No, there isn't," Naruto responded with no humor in his voice. "Losing you sent him into a deeper spiral following the whole situation with his father, and then losing Rin almost completely broke him. He's told me several times that if it wasn't for taking care of me, he would have followed his dad after mine died in the attack YOU orchestrated."

Obito winced at that. "Okay, I'll meet with Kakashi."

Before anyone could respond to him (Naruto), Obito vanished into his vortex, leaving the teens to sit with their thoughts.

Naruto shifted after a while, threw a log onto the fire, and turned to his team. "Guys, I really want to get Hinata back to Konoha. Can I trust you two to find Neji and his team tomorrow?"

Sasuke was about to respond with a light insult, but Sakura surprised all of them by saying, "Really, Naruto? You're going to leave a pair of teenagers in a relationship in the woods with a tent and no supervisor?"

Hinata was struggling to contain her giggles, Sakura kept her face inquisitive, and Sasuke had more than a bit of trouble hiding the blush creeping into his cheeks. Naruto knew that they would accept the task, it was more of a courtesy to ask them. Leave it to his teammates to find a way to make him regret being polite.

"Hinata, we're leaving now. We don't want to be here when Sasuke starts crying like a little bitch."

Everyone but Sasuke couldn't help but burst out in laughter, Kurama included. Sasuke hurled a kunai at Naruto's chest, but the golden flash told him he missed. Both Naruto and Hinata were gone, presumably back to Konoha, and Sasuke was left alone with his laughing girlfriend.

"It's okay, Sasuke, I wouldn't judge you if you cried!"

Sasuke gave a single, Uchiha-style snort of amusement. "Like I'd ever cry. Besides, as much as you'd enjoy making me cry, I feel like we'd both enjoy me making you screaming a lot more."

.

.

.

"Where's your tent?"

* * *

Naruto flashed into the large Clan Head Home Karin had shown him. During his short visit he had placed a single Hirashin tag in the master bedroom, and now it was showing its uses. Naruto turned to help Hinata find a place to hurl if she needed it, but she was surprisingly fine.

"Obito's teleportation is a lot like yours, at least that's what he said."

Naruto only nodded in understanding, smiling as he led her to the large, plush bed. "Are you hungry? I can flash over to my apartment for some instant ramen or whatever is left in there."

Hinata sat on the blankets and thought for a second, "I'm okay, I just want to spend some time with you before we head to sleep."

With a warm smile still on his face, Naruto obliged. He moved to the dresser that was, thankfully, fully stocked by Karin. The bottom drawer had copies of the sleepwear he kept at home, and Naruto was doing his best to not imagine the redhead ruffling through his drawers. He grabbed a pair of shorts for himself, and two of the large, baggy t-shirts. Tossing one to Hinata with a light blush, he left to change.

Now in the hallway of the completely dark house, he didn't want to risk light and letting anyone know he was back, Naruto leaned his forehead against the wall.

**"What's wrong, kit? You want to block me out so you two can have some… ALONE time?"**Kurama's teasing offer had a sense of legitimacy as well, and he actually planned on Naruto taking up the opportunity.

_"I… yes, actually. Not for the reasons, you're thinking about, but there are a few things I'd like to talk to her about alone, you know?"_

**"I understand, Naruto. Is something eating at you then?"**

Naruto started to undress as he held the mental conversation. _"It's just… she's really back! I've been in a literal daze all day, and I'm still coming to terms that we actually have her back. And she's definitely going to get marked after this."_

**"We always knew we'd get her back, kit."**

_"I know, but I was prepared to spend my life, and probably trade it in, just to find her. This just feels so… perfect."_

**"You should cut me off now, then. This is definitely a conversation you should be having with her. Especially now that you're alone."**

Naruto took the suggestion without replying, finally pulling the shirt over his head. Part of him still didn't think she'd be on the other side of the door when he opened it, and another part of him expected him to wake up any minute. Naruto took a breath… and knocked.

A light, muffled response let him know he could come back in. Naruto opened the door with bated breath, still holding in the deep one he took in preparation.

All at once, he lost it. Every ounce of air he was holding disappeared, and he was left breathless by the princess in front of him.

A shaft of moonlight shone in through the window falling on the foot of the bed where his goddess was sitting. She looked timid, demure even. Naruto's large shirt looked like a short dress on her, and something about her in his clothing set off a deep instinct within him. _Mine._

"Th-thank you for the shirt, Naruto. Do you want to… cuddle as we t-talk?" she asked with a slight stutter. She only really showed her old habit when she was nervous about something, and this likely qualified.

"Uh, yeah. That's… good. Sounds good, I mean," the blond fumbled through his response. The small giggle he received as his girlfriend moved her way to the head of the bed made him smile, though.

As Naruto smiled and made his way to her, he caught a glimpse of white fabric up past the hem of his shirt, and that made him blush madly. He also fought against a _different _erection, er, reaction.

Once the two teens were settled under the light covers, Naruto turned onto his left side, offering his left arm as an additional pillow to Hinata as she pressed her back into his chest. It felt so familiar, yet so foreign at the same time. It felt exciting, yet he was also calmed by her presence. It was comfortable and reassuring.

It was home.

"I missed you… so much," Naruto whispered, pressing his forehead to the back of her scalp.

Hinata grabbed his free right arm and draped it over her side, cocooning herself in her Naruto. "I missed you too, Naruto. More than you can imagine."

"I worked so hard to be strong, Hinata. I trained every day, more hours than I let myself sleep. I wanted to be able to rescue you from who or whatever was keeping you from me… and now here you are. It's so… surreal. I don't know whether to laugh and celebrate that the love of my life is back IN my life, or sob because I'll wake up as soon as I close my eyes for the night."

Her grip tightened around his hand, and she tensed enough to press harder into his chest. Naruto squeezed her back. "I know, Naruto. I wanted so badly to reach out to you, to hold you. At least tell you I was safe, but I also wanted to be able to stop anything from taking me from you again. So… I settled for the few minutes Obito could take me to see your training. It was hard, seeing you suffer like that. Especially since I know it was because of me…"

"No! no, no no. Hinata, none of this is your fault," Naruto leaned up on his elbow and kissed her cheek. He then moved up and kissed away the single tear that was falling. "And I have you know, which is all that matters."

Hinata sniffled once. "I was so afraid that you'd move on without me… fall for Ino, or Karin, or even Haku. They're all beautiful and, and-"

Naruto leaned on his left arm full, using his right to turn Hinata on her back to look up at him. Her breaths were short now, small, hiccupping sobs of sadness at the peak of each intake of breath. He saw the tears flow, and he felt his heart break with her.

"Hinata," Naruto stared lowly, wiping the tears from her cheek with each thumb while he rested his head on hers. He pulled back, and his eyes bore straight into hers as he said, "No matter what happens, be it death or separation or some other uncontrollable fate we can't understand, I will always be yours. As you are mine."

Hinata smiled uncontrollably and reached up to dry her eyes once more. "I love you so much."

Naruto closed his eyes and lowered his face to hers the same way he did earlier, noses and foreheads touching. "I love you too, Hinata."

He dropped his lips then, straightening his neck to ensure that they would lock in that comfortably offset diagonal. It took everything in him to keep his own tears in check, but he succeeded.

The kiss deepened, and Hinata wrapped both arms around Naruto's neck. Tentative tongues touched, and sparks flew like they never had before. Naruto pulled back only when they were both in serious need of air, and as he slowly settled back into his original position, he dragged a trail of kisses down her cheek to behind her ear.

Naruto wrapped her back up, and she squirmed her way back into him, content with the way the night had gone. The two lay in silence, reveling in the magic each kiss and each touch carried. Eventually, Hinata squeezed Naruto, hand again, testing his wakefulness. Naruto squeezed back almost immediately.

"Naruto… I'm, not really all that tired you know."

Now, Naruto could be honestly a tad bit dense when it came to women. He made no arguments otherwise, but since he was already doing his best to angle his hips away from hers out of courtesy his mind immediately hopped the same track hers was on. That being said, all he had to do was play along. There was nothing wrong with a little bit of 'fun' before bed, right?

* * *

**Buckle up, boys and girls. Kiddies, go ahead and hit 'Next Chapter' okay?**

"Oh, you don't want to sleep?" Naruto asked in a low, husky voice. He leaned forward and dragged his lips across the nape of her neck as he exhaled. "Then what did you have in. mind?"

Naruto's lips latched onto the soft skin of her neck, his elbow supporting him once again. Her breath hitched, and she stretched in a way to give him better access. "You're on my mind, of course," she let out a small, squeak of a moan as Naruto's teeth gave her pulse a light nip.

Not to be completely outdone, Hinata brought her blond lover's hand up from her navel, and Naruto felt the hardening of her nipple through her shirt. He gave a light, experimental squeeze, and her back arched to push her chest more firmly in his hand. Her hips took advantage of the new position and she pushed her rear firmly onto Naruto's crotch, feeling the very hardness Naruto had 'politely' kept away from her. It was Naruto's turn to have his breath hitch.

The touching and petting weren't entirely new to them. They had dated long enough before the exam that a few make-out sessions had turned into a bit more than they maybe should have, but this was the first time Naruto had his important bits so pleasantly close to their most prominent desire. He couldn't help himself as he ground his own hips forward, feeling his hardness sink in and mesh with Hinata's soft rear.

They both let out a quiet sound of satisfaction, and Naruto took it a bit further. He bit down lightly on her neck, halfway likely due to Kurama's instincts and halfway because he knew Hinata loved it. She took a deep, sharp breath as she tilted her head even more, and Naruto grabbed a nipple through her shirt, pinching lightly and rolling it between the pads of his thumb and forefinger. Hinata let out her deep breath in a louder, involuntary moan as her back arched even harder.

Naruto's erection had slipped past the bottom of her soft bottom and now rested slightly uncomfortably between her thighs. It was only uncomfortable due to the strain that the fabric of his shorts was giving him, but it was easily drowned out by the wet heat he could feel on the top of his most sensitive appendage.

"Naruto," Hinata moaned.

Kami, he loved hearing her say his name like that.

"Naruto, I want… more," her voice was breathy, and the most unreserved he had ever heard.

They had already gone further than they ever had before, but who was he to deny a princess any of her wishes? It helped that he was holding back his own, raging desires.

Naruto pulled his arm out from under her head, dragging his other hand over both of her breasts as he pulled it away as well to sit up. He whipped off his shirt, and when he tossed it aside, he was greeted by a sight no god or goddess could ever hope to match.

Hinata had pulled the baggy t-shirt up over her head, the collar stuck under her chin while the hem was gripped by both her hands. Naruto's eye hungrily took in the milky white expanse of her legs, up to her wide panty-clad hips, and then he let his eyes trail up even further. Her toned stomach led up to the tantalizing valley between her breasts, each one full and inviting with their rosy tips. Naruto glanced at her face and nearly lost his mind at her expression.

Half of her bottom lip was held hostage between her teeth, and the shirt was still covering her arms. Her eyes were full of both want and apprehension. Naruto knew what she needed, and he was more than happy to oblige.

Naruto leaned down next to her face, and since he was sitting up now he had to twist his head to look at her straight on. "You are more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed, Hinata. I love you so much."

He saw the doubt leave her eyes, and he leaned in for another kiss. This one wasn't as hungry or heated as the first, but slow and tender. He wanted her to know that he was filled with more love than anything else at that moment in time, and she would know by this kiss alone.

Naruto used his left hand to firmly press down on the shirt above her head, urging her to allow her arms to remain above her and relaxed. Naruto's other hand ghosted over her chest, over each soft mound and tip, over the beautiful valley between, and finally down lower.

Naruto pulled his lips and tongue away slowly, dragging his lips down over her jaw and neck, never giving her a full kiss even though she pleaded silently with her neck. His hand dropped to the top of her right thigh as his mouth reached just below her ear. A low whisper was all he could muster without breaking the magic of the moment.

"Just say stop…" his low, hoarse whisper sent a shudder down her spine, and then the heat of his breath was gone. No, it was traveling.

In one long, slow breath, Naruto let his lips hover their way downwards. Over her right, perky, and oh so tempting nipple, and then further. By the time he needed another breath of air, his nose was brushing the sensitive skin just above the waistline of her panties. Naruto's left hand still held her arms captive via the shirt, but his right was tracing light lines of nonsense on the top of her right thigh with his nails. The sensation alone was enough to raise gooseflesh in pleasure, but Naruto wouldn't let that be all of her experience.

His lips were wetted by the tip of his tongue before they parted and finally made full contact with her stomach. She jerked and gasped once in pleasure and surprise, and Naruto gave a single, forceful suckle at the perfect skin. He knew she was sensitive here, borderline ticklish anywhere below her belly-button like this, so he let the tip of his tongue out to trace the same circles his nails were.

Hinata made small sounds of pleasure almost every other breath now, all of them stressed and breathy over the heavy teasing she was being put through. She had _never _been this worked up before, and she could feel the wetness working its way through the fabric between her thighs. She felt Naruto's trailing fingertips on her right thigh swoop downward with every circle they made, and his tongue went the opposite way.

His fingers made one more circle, now halfway down her milky thigh, before they swooped to the inside of her leg. Hinata gave a hard jolt at the move, but then she opened herself wider to his ministrations. His fingers could feel the moisture at the top of their revolution. By the time his fingers reached just above her knee, his breath spread its warmth between her breasts. She could hardly take it anymore, she wanted – _needed – _more.

Almost like a signal was given, Naruto's hand started its way back up the inside of her thigh. She felt his tongue dart out, and her moans were becoming harder and harder to keep to herself. The farther up her leg his teasing fingers went, the closer his circling tongue got to her extremely hard nipple.

Just when Hinata thought the dam would burst, she felt it. His hand, grazing the now-soaked fabric at her crotch, the coolness of his fingers alleviating the burning heat emanating from between her legs. His tongue now circled rapidly around the tip of her right breast now, and she was flexing her body up and trying to deepen his touch at either point.

She didn't have to.

Naruto's fingers moved up quickly before dipping beneath the cloth of her panties. His fingers trailed through light curls of hair before being met with the warm dampness that told him he was doing a good enough job. His fingers found the top of her slit, and his middle wiggled its way between the warm fold right near the top of the crease.

At the same time, Naruto sucked the nipple into his mouth. The hardened nub barely made it through his lips and past his teeth, but he still allowed his teeth to graze against it. Hinata let out a throaty moan at the combined assault, and Naruto knew that he had found her 'lower nub' successfully enough as well.

Her hips tried to move with his finger at the same time her chest tried to press itself further into his mouth. In the end, she appeared to simply _writhe _in pleasure beneath Naruto's touch, and he absolutely loved it. This was what she deserved. He ran his single, middle digit down her slit, the dampness giving way to outright wetness, and the light yet insistent pressure from the finger eventually plunged it into the warm embrace of her entrance.

"Fuck, Naruto!" Hinata borderline shouted as her hips bucked upwards. Naruto pulled his finger back slightly making sure that it didn't sink in past the first knuckle. His teeth twisted her nipple a bit more, and she dropped to the mattress in sweaty pleasure.

"Naruto please, stop teasing me! I-I'm going to explode…"

Naruto released her arms, and she immediately ripped the shirt away from her arms and sat up. Naruto followed her, his finger still resting just inside her. His knees rested spread wide, and he placed his left behind her as his arm followed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and took her into a deep kiss, and then quickly plunged the entirety of his middle finger into her tightness.

Hinata broke the kiss to give a low, shuddering moan. Naruto dropped his mouth to her neck, and her head lolled back. As he sucked once, hard, he moved his finger. He didn't pull out to push it back in, no. Naruto _curled _the digit upwards. He felt her walls tighten as the rest of her body convulsed in pleasure.

Hinata was done with the one-sided performance, and her hand shot down to Naruto's trousers. With deft movements, she managed to stun him with a quick grip long enough to free his erection through the hole in the front of his shorts.

Naruto grunted in pleasure but remained focused otherwise. Hinata only got a few strokes in before she was frozen by shudders again. Naruto had started gyrating his finger within her, and she couldn't do anything but enjoy the sensation. The strong, circular motions left most of his finger inside her most of the time, but every so often he would press her in _just_ the right spot when he curled his finger up…

Naruto was ready to give her the feeling he had been wanting to give for over a year now. He slowly added a finger, and he did so boldly. He knew almost no kunoichi's hymen survived the rigorous flexibility training, so he wouldn't hurt her in the slightest. His middle and index finger now completely inside his writhing girlfriend, Naruto curled them both upwards again. Hard.

Hinata almost cried out in ecstasy. Naruto's sucking lips were nearly in time with his fingers, and they were rubbing almost exclusively on that wonderful spot inside of her. Then, she felt his thumb rise up and press firmly on a button, and she absolutely melted.

Naruto lightly bit her neck one more time, made two quick and firm circles on both sensitive hotspots, and he felt her tighten around him forcefully. She wasn't exactly quiet in her climax, nor was she still.

Her legs tightened around his hand the same way her walls trapped his fingers, locking his entire appendage in place. Her whole body shook once, twice, and then she pushed his head down into her chest. Naruto nipped at a nipple while he felt the warm wetness convulse around his fingers, and he almost lost himself in the thought of having something else inside of her while she experienced her, honestly aggressive, orgasm.

After nearly ten solid seconds, Hinata fell limp and panting. Her eyes were unfocused, and her breathing was irregular. Naruto pulled off her now-drenched underwear, and he covered them both with the blanket once more.

"Wait," Hinata grabbed at his throbbing erection, "you didn't get a turn."

Naruto looked at her questioningly before asking, "Do you think you have the energy to finish me off tonight?"

She started to nod but was rudely interrupted by a yawn. Naruto chuckled, removed his shorts entirely, and cuddled close to his nearly sleeping girlfriend in victory. More than one victory, if you asked him.

"Fine… but your turn first thing in the morning…" her eyes were closed before she finished her sentence.

Naruto kissed her one more time before settling in behind her. In truth his raging erection was irksome, but it would have to be happy with being nestled between the soft cheeks of his girlfriend for the night. Because Naruto was ecstatic with that.

* * *

_"She was my world. I'd kill for her… I have before so don't doubt that I wouldn't again. We bonded on the battlefield, each of us looking over the bodies of our closest friends… and since she was taken from me don't underestimate how many more bodies I will leave by getting back to her. If countries are in my way, then countries will fall. And if I should fall instead, then we will part the same way we came together. Covered in blood… and sorrow… and with a pile of bones growing around us." - Obito Uchiha_

* * *

**Finished! For any of you curious, yes that final scene does work in real life lol. If any of you guys out there are looking to really impress your special someone, get them off both with just your hands and mouth and don't demand anything in return. Works wonders for later dates, lemme tell ya. **

**Aside from that, what's all yall's thoughts on Obito? Oooh, things are getting heated up, and I can see things getting pretty gnarly by chapter 10. See you all next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Holy hell it's been a while! I'm really sorry about that, even more so when I saw how much love the story was getting... but I've been struggling to hold down both of my jobs so much that I have almost no energy at the end of the day to write. Things are getting easier now, though, and I'm leaving on vacation in a few days! Writing time! Also, I have some good news at the bottom of the chapter, so be sure to read that note too.**

* * *

Naruto's eyes refused to open, the somehow familiar warmth that engrossed him made anything but relaxing difficult. A small smile graced his lips as his eyelids remained closed, and his next inhale brought a scent to his nose that made every one of his senses _tingle_. She was real. He hadn't dreamed of it, he got her back. And she was here, laying with him, making everything better with nothing more than her presence.

"I see someone woke up in a good mood," her silky sweet voice coaxed Naruto from his own mind.

Naruto let his eyes finally see the light of the morning, but the view was much better than any sunrise. Hinata had half of her body draped over Naruto, the white expanse of her skin contrasting beautifully with her dark, messy hair.

"How could I not, considering who I woke up with?" he asked in response.

Her only response was a smile of her own and a deep kiss. Naruto wanted to deepen it further, but when his lips started to part she pulled away. More confused than anything, Naruto looked at her and waited for an explanation.

"Don't you remember my promise last night?" her coy smile was accompanied by a light blush.

Did… did that mean he was getting a 'turn'? He wouldn't complain if that was the case!

Her face was up above his at the moment, and when he came to his conclusion his eyes tried to dart down to his groin. Fortunately, a soft pair of fleshy mounds impeded his view, and Naruto's eyes went back to Hinata's.

"I see you do. I guess I should get started then, seeing as it's morning…"

Naruto's face remained upturned, the gentle pressure of Hinata's finger under his chin deterring him from gazing at the spectacle. He could feel the growing hardness of her nipples dragging down his chest, growing closer and closer to his own hardness even as Hinata left a wet trail of kisses down his neck and chest. Naruto shuddered when he felt his morning wood embraced by the warmness of his girlfriend's chest, and to his complete surprise, her lips showed no intention of stopping.

* * *

Naruto walked into the Hokage's Administration building at roughly a quarter after eight. He was absolutely bouncing with every step, something that the few people out and about took notice of. Since he was a squad leader at the moment, he could see the Hokage before her appointments started at nine. Tsunade was _supposed _to be in by eight for that very reason but Naruto knew that sometimes she liked to take a few extra minutes to get over the daily hangover, so he waited fifteen extra minutes. Well, they were an eventful fifteen minutes that he felt like he had spent VERY well. The things Hinata can do with her mouth…

"Naruto! What are you doing back? Are you here to see Tsunade?" Shizune beamed brightly from the desk.

"Hi, Shizune! Yes, I popped back in with some crazy good news for our fearless leader. I'll be out by ten though, I have to get back to my team."

Shizune saw the unwavering smile on Naruto's face, and she also noticed the odd glow that seemed to surround him. It must be some pretty good news. "Well, she's just getting in for the day, so you should be able to head right in. Would you like anything to eat or drink for your meeting?"

Naruto tilted his head from side to side, thinking about the offer. "Actually, if you could just have Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Kurenai all join us within the next few minutes that would be great."

Shizune glanced at a few papers before saying, "Jiraiya is out of town at the moment, but I can send ANBU for the other two. They are likely training by now, so you can expect them in about five minutes."

Kakashi? Early morning training? Naruto never thought he'd see the day, but then again Kakashi _was _one of Konoha's most prominent ninja and they _were _in the middle of a war.

"Thanks, Shizune! Say hello to Ton-Ton for me!" Naruto spun to head up the stairs, and Shizune snapped her fingers. A pair of shadows zipped from the room as Naruto bounced out of sight.

* * *

Tsunade sat with her feet on her desk, a bottle of premium Sake in her hand. If you asked her, it was the best cure for a hangover you could ask for. How can you be hungover if you're still drunk? It's foolproof.

"HELLOOO, HOKAGE!" Naruto kicked the door open with a thundering crash almost as loud as his greeting.

After a brief startle, Tsunade sunk down into her chair with a sigh. She took her feet from her desktop as she tucked the bottle away. She had a strong feeling she'd be needing it before Naruto was finished here. It was never a good sign when a squad leader came in early from a mission. Was his cheery attitude his way of coping with disaster? Was it to prep her for the bad news? She was a big girl, for fuck's sake she could take it.

"Okay, Naruto, where's your team and what went wrong?"

Naruto. Simply mock-gasped as he sat down across from her. He had a hand daintily pressed to his chest, and his mouth hung open comically wide, almost managing to offset his smile.

"What could you possibly mean? I am a great commander, and I have full trust in my team that they'll follow orders and find Neji sometime this morning!"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in suspicion. This happiness was starting to really throw her off. "Are you just reporting in to tell me that you made contact with all of the villages through Tea and along Frost's border?"

Naruto nervously scratched the back of his head, his smile dropping for the first time that morning. "Actually, we could start with that when Kakashi gets here."

"Present," Kakashi monotoned as he walked into the room and leaned against the wall. "Why was I called in again? Do I have to fix one of Naruto's mistakes?"

Naruto laughed aloud, "Not quite yet, Uncle Kakashi! And believe it or not, Sasuke didn't mess up either!"

"Someone's chipper this morning…"

"And you were training this morning! First time for everything, ha!"

"Boys if we could focus back in here…" Tsunade was feeling a headache come on. Naruto had a talent for that, it seemed.

"Of course, Lady Hokage," Kakashi bowed respectfully. "Also, my response was as fast as it was because I was at the memorial stone, not a training field."

Naruto's eye twitched, but he kept up his bright demeanor. "Anyway! My report so far: we only managed to hit three of the six planned targets in Tea."

"What?" Tsunade sat up straighter. "And you're happy about that because?"

Naruto shook his head, "Oh, I'm not happy about that, believe me. Anyways, the morning after I brought in that Sound captain and his experiment – how are they by the way?" Naruto bounced from topic to topic.

"The girl is receiving therapy through the Yamanaka's and the captain gave us ample information in honor of 'his Dark Lord'. Care to explain that?"

This time Naruto actually giggled a bit, throwing off both present adults. "Sasuke went full on Emo Uchiha, scared the bat juice out of the poor guy. The girl hopefully didn't see the worst of it, but it worked out well enough."

Tsunade sighed before motioning with her hand for the report to continue.

"Yeah, the morning after that we approached the biggest settlement we had plans to see, but it was gone. The leader of the Akatsuki was responsible for turning the town into a crater, and we fought him a bit. Got our asses kicked ROYALLY, oh boy. He was just testing out this modified seal he bought from Orochimaru who got it from Gaara before the invasion. It worked, by the way, totally fucked up my connection with Kurama. Kinda impressed by my work if I do say so myself –"

"NARUTO STOP TALKING." Tsunade was up out of her chair now. "What the hell happened to your simple mission? The information from the Oto nin was really valuable, so thanks and all but what the hell? The LEADER of the AKATSUKI?"

Naruto sat with wide eyes at her outburst. "Well, ya didn't have to yell. Yeah... he turned the last three villages into craters, but he did tell us that every village in Frost had already sided with Kumo before we pressed on."

Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose as Kakashi smacked his head repeatedly against the wall.

"So… yeah! That night I decided that we'd eliminate as many villages as we could on our way to find Neji and his team. We got four in total, and we each got to do one by ourselves. You see, Sasuke turned it into a competition and all, but I totally won. Don't bother asking the other two just trust me."

"Wait," Tsunade interjected with a stern tone. This meant that the matter had turned into something she couldn't let Naruto laugh off. "What do you mean you each eliminated a village?"

"I'd call them 'outposts' more than villages. There were no civilians present, so we took out all four of em. We didn't take the one Kurama did in our competition because then he would have won for sure."

**"Damn straight."**

"Naruto this is a big deal. Those were likely their advance scouting unit outposts. Losing them would be a huge loss for Kumo, especially if the casualties were high. That also means that Konoha has drawn first blood for the first time in any of our past wars. Were there any survivors?"

"I know I left EXACTLY one, I wanted her to deliver the message you know? I told my team to leave some, and I'm pretty sure some escaped Sasuke's fire. Sakura just kinda caused an earthquake/sinkhole/rockslide with her damn _fist, _so I have no idea how many made it out of that one."

"That's my girl," Tsunade whispered with no small amount of pride. "But how are you all dealing with that? You killed a lot of people on this mission, Naruto. No one comes away from that the same, especially their first time."

"Ah, I believe that's the reason I'm here, Lady Tsunade. My team and I have always helped each other through these kinds of things," Kakashi spoke up for the first time in the report.

"Ehhh," Naruto made a very high-pitched sound of hesitation, "That's one reason, sure, but it's more for the end of the report."

"You started the report without me? Goddamnit, Naruto! First, you summon me to the Hokage's office and then you don't even wait for me? And I WASN'T TRAINING!" Kurenai entered through the still-open door, her hair an absolute mess and her mood no better. She must have left in a huge hurry.

Kakashi's nose twitched, and then his visible eye shot wide open.

"You only really needed to be here for the last part, so don't worry Kurenai-sensei!" Naruto beamed at her. Her eyes narrowed and she almost growled. "Actually, why do I smell cigarette smoke and…"

Naruto's eyes also widened, and he could form no words.

"K-Kurenai I'm so sorry! I didn't know I was interrupting you –"

Her tone was icy, "Don't. Keep. Talking."

Naruto gulped and turned around.

"Since these two obviously know now, Lady Tsunade I need to put in for maternity leave. I'm pregnant."

The loud congratulations from both men died out almost immediately, her fiery red eyes silencing them in seconds.

"Well… uh, I ended up running into someone yesterday that made me come back, and I really think you guys should meet her!" Naruto's bubbly attitude was back.

"Ugh, that's why he's so peppy," Kurenai grumbled.

"Alright, Naruto. Your whole report has been a rollercoaster so far, so let's see how you end things," Tsunade offered. She was fed up with the day already, and it wasn't even nine in the morning.

"Great! Be right back!" dropped kunai and then… flash.

The three adults looked at each other, Kakashi struggling to meet Kurenai's gaze. Kurenai broke the silence with, "So what did I miss? Anything good?"

Tsunade gave a short barking laugh before responding, "Turns out every member of Team 7 likes to wipe out enemy villages."

"Those three can take out a village? Already?"

"No," Kakashi clarified, finally comfortable with the room's atmosphere, "Each _one. _As in, individually." Kakashi was a proud parent.

Before Kurenai could comment further, there was another flash. Naruto was back and had his arm around…

"HINATA?!"

"Hello Lady Tsunade, Naruto told me you took the position. Congratulations!" the Hyuga smiled cheerily, acting as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

All at once the adults moved. Kakashi slumped to the floor, a hand on his head. Kurenai surged forward to bring the young woman into a tight embrace. Tsunade slowly dug out her bottle before aptly draining it.

Once the hug had concluded, Kakashi did his best to break the ice once more. "So… she's why you've been glowing all morning. They grow up so fast!"

Naruto's smile was surrounded by red, but there were no denials. He _had _grown up with Jiraiya of all people, he must have read a few books at some point.

"Uh, Kakashi, There's actually a secondary reason you're here. I just figured I'd let Kurenai catch up with Hinata while you had your own conversation."

The jonin in question looked excitedly at the Hokage for permission to take Hinata away for a while. Tsunade grumbled out, "One hour, but then it's my turn."

When the room consisted of just Naruto, Kakashi, and Tsunade, Naruto spoke up again. "Well, this one is gonna be a bit more… hectic. There's someone else waiting at my house, so I'll be back."

"So Hinata stayed the night with him… interesting…" Kakashi used any means he could to occupy his mind, and possible ammunition against his hyperactive blond just so happened to be the first choice.

Naruto flashed back in much quicker than he did last time, and this time the person he was with made both Kakashi and Tsunade jump up with weapons drawn. Naruto could hear the hidden ANBU draw their weapons as well.

Obito looked first at Tsunade, noting how she hadn't changed in the slightest. His eye then fell to Kakashi, and that was where it stayed while Naruto spoke.

"We actually have another deep-cover agent in the Akatsuki… so to speak. Kinda. It's, uh, hm. Actually, I'll let him explain."

Obito tore his gaze from Kakashi and faced the Hokage. He took off his cloak, and he held his offending garment aloft as he bowed his head. "Lady Hokage, I humbly ask you to hear out my testimony, and possibly consider letting me rejoin Konoha in her time of war."

"Name and date of the last mission performed under Konoha's name?" Tsunade asked skeptically. Hiruzen hadn't informed her of this.

Obtio audibly gulped before he set the cloak ablaze. With black fire. A pair of gasps echoed in the room as two more people realized there was yet another Uchiha among them. "I apologize, but it's been too long to remember the exact date. Third Shinobi World War, mission to destroy… Kannabi bridge along with my genin cell and jonin sensei."

There was a metallic thud as Kakashi dropped the kunai he was holding. Obito turned to him and slowly removed his mask. Through all the scarring and discoloration of the right side of his face… Kakashi still knew who this man was.

"Hello, Kakashi."

* * *

Sasuke stood back-to-back with Neji, each of them locating and picking off what mutated stragglers they could. Tenten was next to them, digging out another scroll of weapons to use. Sakura had just demolished the tunnel system of the nearby stronghold, and there was a _Mokuton user _of all people with her. Sasuke's thoughts were on his pink-haired girlfriend and the man responsible for extracting her, but he still never missed a target.

There was a bright, telltale flash to Sasuke's left, and The Uchiha flicked his eyes to his teammate.

"Well Sakura, things got, oh. Hey, Sasuke, I thought Sakura had the kunai?" Naruto asked. He stretched before greeting Neji, "Hey Neji, how's your mission going?"

"Naruto," was all Neji offered in greeting. "We have successfully found and eliminated four of Orochimaru's labs. This is the fourth."

"Oh, that's cool. We caught that group that ran off a couple of days ago, by the way."

"I already told him the story," Sasuke interrupted.

"Damn, did you tell him how kick ass it was?"

"Sasuke managed to get it across, yes. I'm happy you two find so much fun during wartime."

"Ah, don't be a stick in the mud, Neji!" Naruto encouraged. He smacked the Hyuga's arm in good fun, throwing off Neji's next throw just enough to only severely maim his target instead of instantly killing her.

"AHH, GODS MY KIDNEY!"

Naruto looked bashful for a full half-second, "Sorry, my bad!" Neji promptly finished off the dying woman with a disapproving grunt.

"And Naruto, I am not a 'stick in the mud'."

Sasuke spoke up next, "Neji you have a stick so far up your ass you're basically a popsicle. Might as own it and choose what flavor you are."

Neji sighed. "You were less of a nuisance before Naruto showed up."

"Naruto's here, Yamato, late like I said he'd be," Sakura's distinct voice carried over the rubble.

Naruto glanced toward the direction he knew she was coming from, and almost did a double take at the sight of her companion. The tall man had a dead look in his eye, although his body showed that he was as alert as anyone present. It was odd, the blank yet piercing stare that he had. Naruto couldn't help but shiver.

"Captain Yamato, I presume?" Naruto greeted.

"You are correct. Now that you have returned from Konoha I assume you have orders. Are we to continue the mission?" Yamato responded with his own question.

Everyone present looked at Naruto, now considering the fact that the mission may be complete. "No, there have been a few changes to the plan, and we are to report back in."

"Well fuck, I was just starting to have fun!" an overly joyful voice proclaimed from behind the blond. Said blond smiled to himself before tilting his head sharply, a thin slice appearing on his cheek before closing itself. A kunai found a tree to embed itself into just as Naruto turned to see the familiar face.

"Anko! It's great to see you!" Naruto said happily.

"And I see you're quick as ever, brat!" the sadistic woman hugged the boy close, burying his face in her oddly comfortable chest.

Yamato coughed into his hand, "Please, save the reunion for later. Naruto, do you have any other details for us?"

Pulling his face free, Naruto turned to the blank-eyed man. "Well, after reporting the details of Team 7's mission, the Hokage decided that it would be best to militarize the border closest to Kumo. Aside from that, Suna is preparing to engage with Iwa, and Tsunade wants to send some backup. I can teleport us back, but you guys should probably plan on puking when we get there."

Sasuke smirked alongside a giggling Sakura, the thought of others going through the pain of their first Hirashin somehow amusing them.

"Then I believe we are ready to report in. Anko, Neji, do you have any objections?" the apparent leader asked his cell.

"I call riding Naruto back," Anko piped.

"… Ignoring Anko, I am also ready to return."

Naruto nodded and created a few clones. Sakura and Sasuke could handle a bit more of a turbulent ride, so they would 'share' one. Yamato and Anko both got their own clone, and Naruto stood next to Neji.

Anko placed a hand on her clone's chest, "Oh, I knew these guys were solid, Naruto, but I had no idea they were _this _solid! Can I maybe get two or three for later tonight?"

Naruto and every one of his clones shivered at that, something deep down telling them that it likely wouldn't be a good time. "Anko, we gotta talk about the way you word things."

"Don't worry too much, Naruto. She's been this way for the entirety of the mission," Yamato reassured the jinchuriki.

"Oh, Yamato that reminds me. The clones will take you all to the Hokage's office," Naruto started as the clones all prepared to flash, "but I'll be taking Neji back to my place. I think Hinata wanted to say hi before he reported in."

Neji's eyes bulged and almost activated the Byakugan out of sheer shock, "WAIT, WHAT?!"

Then the clearing was full of yellow before it was emptied.

* * *

The sun had set hours ago, and now Naruto stood in the dark office, facing a tired Tsunade. "Alright, I'm here. What's so important that you could only tell me after hours?" Naruto asked with a small amount of annoyance evident in his voice.

"First off, you need a status update. I'm promoting you to full Jonin in light of your most recent mission. You can obviously lead, and you have the firepower to back it up. We'll have to skip the ceremony and the hazing due to the war, however."

"Oh darn, I always was up for some good-old-fashioned hazing!" Naruto said sarcastically.

"Let me finish, brat. I'm also considering both of your teammates, and I'm giving them separate squads to lead on the Kumo waterfront to test them. They also have more than enough firepower behind them."

Naruto was indeed silent at that, mostly out of thinking of his friends. "Sakura already has one, but can you give Sasuke this kunai before he leaves? Just in case he needs the backup, you know."

Tsunade smiled lightly as she took the offered weapon, "I'm sure he'll appreciate the sentiment. Now, that leaves you to work with. You're too much of a game changer to leave in the village, despite what some of my colleagues may think. I'm giving you a special joint operation mission."

Naruto was somewhat taken aback, not against the idea but also surprised at how little of a respite he was being given. "Joint operation? Who'll be joining me?"

"My men will be, Namikaze," an old yet sure voice called. Naruto turned to see one wrapped up Danzo Shimura walking through the door, flanked by a pair of pale shinobi Naruto had never seen before.

"Danzo," Naruto bowed his head slightly, "To what do I owe the honor of working with Root?"

The old man grumbled a bit, "It's nice to see just how secret my organization's existence is. These two are… outliers within Root, something I hope pairing them together under you may fix."

Naruto took another glance at the shinobi in question, both being around his age and very, very pale. The one on the left had an emotionless, calculating look that Naruto expected of Root members, but the other was literally the exact opposite. He stood with his fingers tapping a quick staccato against his shuriken holster on his leg, his head bouncing to some unheard beat. His eyes never focused on one thing too long. Something very uncharacteristic of a ninja, much less a member of Root.

"To explain further, this one is called Sai," Danzo said as the stoic one bowed slightly, "he is the brightest pupil I've had thus far, and I am beginning the process of grooming to take over in my stead. I need him to learn to be more sociable, preferably so he can interact better with both the Hokage and clients than I was able to in my own youth. This isn't a skill that I or anyone under me can teach, so it is my hope that he can pick it up while being productive in our war efforts."

Naruto nodded along with the introduction, surprised that the geezer was actually considering a looming retirement. From Jiraiya's stories of the war hawk Naruto expected him to fight old age until it claimed him.

"And the other one… he is called Sho."

"Heya!" the eccentric shinobi greeted, giving a half salute as he did so.

"I tried to put him through training to be expressive in hopes of balancing out Sai. He is much too expressive, by any standards. No amount of correctional therapies has helped revert him. I honestly have no idea what to do with him, and if he fails to improve, I will be forced to expel him from Root."

Naruto was slightly disturbed at the news. There were more than a few hidden dark sides to what the man had said, something that Naruto knew existed but hated acknowledging. 'Correctional Therapies' often meant torturous brainwashing. 'Expel' likely meant that Sho would be sent on an S-Rank mission solo. Paramount to suicide.

"Naruto, do you accept the leadership of this three-man cell?" Tsunade asked then. A brisk nod was all the confirmation she needed.

"I will take my leave, then," Danzo said, bowing as he left. Naruto still found it difficult to trust him.

"The mission has two sides. The public one, which is the main reason you have been selected, and the one that can't see the light of day. This second objective is the reason that Root has volunteered two specialists."

This wasn't sounding good.

"Taki has agreed to host Suna shinobi to hold Iwa off our border. The Sand Siblings will be present, each leading shinobi. You are to meet up with them and offer your assistance for the next two weeks to a month. Sasuke and Sakura should finish their missions by then, and after this series of missions there is something else lined up for you three."

Naruto assumed that assisting Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro was the public side of the mission.

"As for Root. There are rumors that Taki willingly gave up their Jinchuriki to the Akatsuki. I need you three to determine the credibility of these rumors. And then assassinate everyone who was on board with that plan of action."

There it was. Naruto felt his gut clench at the thought of assassinating allies. This wasn't what he imagined he'd be doing as a child. True, the nature of ninjas was slowly revealed to him as he matured, but he still hated the thought of doing this to allies.

"I know you don't like this, Naruto. But by helping our enemy, these people have conspired against Konoha. I need you to empty your heart for this mission, we cannot afford to have people like that on our side."

Naruto spared a glance to the Root shinobi he was working with, and they both seemed unbothered by this. "I accept the mission and all of its parameters."

The unlikely trio was dismissed, and Naruto told both Sai and Sho that they'd be departing within the hour. With a nod, the three split off to prepare. In one hour's time, Naruto would be on his way to assassinate his first ally.

* * *

Jiraiya sat in the cave alongside both Zabuza and Haku, warming his hands by the small fire. "You're sure we can trust this woman, Zabuza?"

The younger man grunted, "I know Mei was leading the rebellion before your old teammate took over. It wasn't her side that submit to him, so I would assume she's got the same stupid mindset."

"Okay, but how do we know we can trust her?" the Sannin pushed.

Haku spoke up from her seat across the cave, "They used to date."

"Oh ho ho!"

"Haku you need to stop spending time with the Uzumaki if this is how he's rubbing off on you."

* * *

**So I was thinking about doing a one-shot off of this chapter alongside with the next chapter. It would be from Hinata's perspective and would start when they woke up, maybe detailing the morning a bit more and the time she spent between when Naruto returned with Neji and when he left. Thoughts on that? **

**AND THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT**

**This story is _maybe_ close to halfway done, and I had originally planned for this to be the last installment. But I've recently had this crazy idea to keep this universe a bit relevant in my next project. Hopefully, I've made you all love this enough for that to mean something lol.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well. I was wrong about having good Wifi during my vacation, but oh well. I'm back in the states now, so here's this one! The separate one-shot will have to wait a while, but it is in my plans. Once I get back into the swing of both of my jobs I should be able to pup chapters out again, so hopefully, I'll see you guys more often.**

**Enjoy this thing I don't own. **

* * *

Sasuke woke up in his room, alone for the first time in weeks. He couldn't lie to himself as he sat up to wipe the sleep from his eyes: he missed Sakura's warmth sleeping next to him. Sasuke simply sat in bed for a full minute, contemplating what had occurred over the last mission. He had killed a _lot _of people, and his only consolation of the fact was that none of them were innocent. But every time he allowed himself to think of it as killing _people i_nstead of killing _enemies of Konoha _he felt the all-too-familiar darkness cloud his mind.

Standing now and looking for a clean shirt, Sasuke allowed his thoughts to drift to his teammates. He was more worried about Sakura for more than just relationship reasons. She was new to the whole 'trauma and destruction' thing, something Sasuke figured Naruto would be totally fine dealing with by now. But Sakura had only just gotten on board with Team 7's methodology, and Sasuke was worried about how well she was holding up. Maybe it was time for another one of the team's interventions at Kakashi's?

Sasuke paused in his search for clothing as he scratched at his hip. The waistline of his sleeping shorts had bunched up during the night, something he was going to have to get used to again. Although they hadn't 'sealed the deal', sleeping with Sakura usually meant sleeping naked.

"Oh darn, I was hoping you would sleep naked!"

Sasuke spun to his now open window, his heart and adrenaline spiking at the intruder's voice. He got halfway through what few hand signs he needed for a fireball, but a strong snake entrapped his arms. His first frantic thought was Orochimaru again, but he calmed after remembering that the voice was feminine. Anko.

"Damnit, Anko! Don't just come into my room like this! I have a girlfriend!" Sasuke did his best to cover up his embarrassment with blustery anger.

Anko simply laughed loudly, licked her lips, and looked at the rest of Sasuke left exposed. "And I can see why! And don't worry, I also have a boyfriend, which is why I'm here."

The snaked released Sasuke and then retracted into Anko's… arm? "What are you talking about? I don't know you well enough for a double date, and if you ask for a threesome, I'm asking Naruto to put a seal on me to keep you at least a hundred yards away from me."

Anko couldn't help herself at that, and she sat heavily on the windowsill to laugh. While holding her sides and ignoring Sasuke's angry glares, she wiped a tear of mirth and spoke again, "The double date idea might not be too bad since you know your brother well enough!"

Sasuke completely forgot his half-nakedness after hearing Anko was dating his _brother. _"Back up! What?!"

"Live with it, Princess! I'm boning your brother."

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THIS!"

"Do such large dicks run in the family I wonder?"

"GODDAMNIT ANKO LEAVE!" Sasuke had his hands clasped over his ears and his eyes screwed shut, but her piercing laughter could be heard anyway.

"Ha! I was just considering helping out my future little brother is all! Do you have a summoning contract, by chance?"

This piqued Sasuke's interest, and he slowly lowered his hands from his ears. "Not yet, no. When Itachi gets back he promised to take me to the vault and look into maybe getting the Hawks to accept me."

Anko snorted at the idea, "Hawks? That's hardly suitable for one of the Next Sannin! How would you like a pact with the Snakes? Keep the streak going, and all that?"

Sasuke stared at her in dumbfounded awe and confusion. "But Orochimaru is the main holder, isn't he the only who can offer the contract?"

Anko waved off his question. "The Snakes are pretty particular about that stuff. They acknowledge the person who is both the strongest and who commands the most respect from them as the main holder. Orochimaru may be stronger than me, but he's an inverted shit pipe so I get all the respect!"

Sasuke was still a bit shocked, so all he could do was nod.

"Great, so just sign this here in blood," Anko produced an ancient looking scroll with a poof, "and then you should be all set! Oh, and since you'll need training in the _actual _Hebi style, I'll be coming with you on your next mission to torture you!"

"You mean train me?"

"I'm gonna say yes."

Sasuke only paused momentarily in his blood signing after hearing that, but he figured it would be worth it. "So I'm the second person on my team to inherit one of the legendary contracts…"

"Third, actually. Sakura had to sign the Slug contract before she could master Tsunade's seal thing. But now you're caught up!"

_'What? Why didn't she tell me? Why didn't she summon during our mission at all?'_

"Speaking of Sakura, she's probably already at that meeting with the Hokage you have scheduled for… four minutes from now."

"FUCK FUCK FUCK."

"I'd get dressed before you leave~" Anko sing-songed as she leaped back through the window.

* * *

Sakura sat impatiently in the large leather chair across from her Hokage and teacher. Sasuke was never this late to anything, being a firm believer of 'ten minutes early is five minutes late'. She could tell that Tsunade-sensei was also less than pleased, likely wanting to get whatever business this was out of the way this early in the morning.

"Sorry, I'm on time!" Sasuke strolled through the door, doing his best to discreetly smooth the wrinkles in his clothes she knew were from rushing over here.

"This isn't like you, Sasuke. What held you up?" Tsunade asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"… Anko."

"Oh, all is forgiven then."

Sakura rubbed her temples at the exchange, thinking to herself just how lucky Sasuke was that he was cute.

Sasuke took the seat next to his girlfriend and Tsunade began the meeting, "Now that we are all here, Naruto won't be joining us as he's already on another mission, we can begin."

That information definitely surprised the two remaining members of Team 7.

"I have already promoted him to full jonin based on the last mission's results, and now I'm considering doing the same for you two."

Both teens shifted with excitement, sharing a glance that conveyed the feeling almost simultaneously.

"I will be giving you each a pair of chunin to lead on the Kumo frontline, prepping our side for the war and intercepting any of Kumo's scouting groups that you may find. You'll each have a jonin advisor there to evaluate you, and I believe that you should have enough results in by the month's end for me to make a decision."

Sasuke gave a small, confident smirk and Sakura pounded one fist into her open palm, the fire in her eyes one that Tsunade had grown accustomed to over the last year.

"That being said, Sakura, you will be evaluated by Kakashi. He has assured me that your prior relationship will not interfere with his evaluation of you, so don't it to become easier."

Sakura felt a sweat-drop form, _'If anything it'll be harder to impress Kakashi-sensei than anyone else!'_

"Sasuke you will be graded by Anko, who has informed me of her plan to give you the Snake contract. I assume she did so this morning."

There was a small whine that came from the Uchiha, and Sakura understood his apprehension. Anko was fucking nuts.

"I should also inform you of the new title your team now carries. There are more than a few people that are referring to you as the 'Next Sannin' along with a slew of monikers that Naruto used to be so excited about. Kumo, in particular, has started throwing around names... if Jiraiya's spies are to be believed. Sasuke, I suspect your performance along Frost's border that sprouted rumors of 'Konoha's Dark Angel'."

"What about mine?" Sakura asked with a hint of excitement in her voice. With Naruto being 'Konoha's Shadow Reaper' and Sasuke being 'Konoha's Dark Angel' they could be the coolest named team in History! Like, maybe the 'Shadow Stalkers' or something equally awesome! Naruto was really starting to rub off on her…

"Uh, I think you should maybe just focus on getting a few more, is all," Tsunade tried to dodge the question.

"No, I wanna hear this one! Do you know how cool it would be if we added onto the 'Next Sannin' as a team and became something like the 'Three Without Light' or something? Or 'The Dark Divines' if my name stays with the otherworldly theme?!"

Sasuke gave her a sideways glance, not expecting this Naruto-esque rant from his girlfriend. Granted she had a point, but it was still a bit different coming from her. Naruto was really rubbing off on her.

Tsunade scratched her neck and fidgeted. "Yes, that would be quite a boost for Konoha's fame. But… your current moniker, even in Kumo's updated Bingo Book… is the 'Pink Bitch'."

Sasuke couldn't restrain the single snort, and Sakura fell backward in her large chair, trailing a stream of tears as she did so.

* * *

Naruto was putting up a decent pace to Taki, slightly slower than he would with his own team since he didn't know Sai and Sho's limits, but since they were Root he still went faster than the standard travel speed.

He was also fighting a constant headache, Sho's incessant talking was driving him mad. There wasn't even any reason for it! And Sai wasn't stopping him _or _responding him, so the talkative Root member was simply speaking to the air.

"Like, if an amphibian grew scales would that make them a reptile? What's even the line of distinction in the first place? It's ridiculous! They both lay eggs, but have you noticed that we don't really eat either of them?"

Sai seemed content to ignore the blabber, but Naruto had had enough. "Pull up!"

The three stood on a branch high above the ground, and before Naruto could begin to speak to his team the Root members seemingly switched roles. Sho had silenced himself and Sai began speaking.

"Why are we stopping, Naruto? I was under the assumption that as our leader you would choose a pace you could handle for at least as long as us."

Naruto's eyebrow rose in mild surprise, he wasn't sure if it was simply a blunt question that Sai had trouble phrasing due to his condition or a thinly veiled jab at Naruto's competency. Either way, Naruto knew he would have to address the pale teen's words.

**"Hell, it could have been both! In that case, just beat the snot out of him. Root or not he'll get the message." **Kurama went mostly ignored.

"I figured now would be as good a time as any to give you a teaching moment. Sho, during your hour-long talk, who responded to you?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I did, of course! I'm a great conversationalist, I all agree."

Naruto almost felt a vein pop in his forehead. "Nonetheless, it's generally considered rude to hold one ended conversations while traveling with others. We were remaining silent out of both politeness and annoyance"

Sho smacked a hand to his forehead, a look of utter surprise on his face, "Well why didn't ya say so! If I could read minds it wouldn't matter, but holy hell I'll need you guys to tell me if you want in on my conversations!"

Sai shook his head, "He means that a _lack _of a conversation would be preferable. Your incessant talking has made him upset."

"And you, Sai, have a bad habit of making everything you say sound insulting."

"Who's to say I'm not just insulting you?"

**"I like him."**

"Seeing as I'm your commanding officer, I say you aren't insulting me."

Sai looked contemplative for a moment, but the words eventually seemed to sink in.

"Oh! Oh, I know this one!" Sho yelled with his hands in the air. "Naruto, you're upset right? It's okay, I know you don't like showing it so I can do it for you."

"No, really Sho it's fine," Naruto started.

"Sai, you stupid piece of shit! You shut the hell your mouth when you're talking to me! That's what Naruto is thinking, anyway."

Naruto closed his eyes, doing his best to keep his temper in check.

"I see, I apologize for any ill intentions I may have involuntarily given off, Naruto," Sai bowed in apology, thoroughly confusing the blond jinchuriki. "I will do my best to learn these 'social cues' that seem so important."

Sho pat Naruto on the shoulder good-naturedly, "See? Don't you worry about a thing, Boss. I've got your back, I'll be upset for you whenever you need it!"

**"This is going to be a long mission, isn't it?"**

_"Can you kill me from in there?"_

* * *

Sakura sat in the lounge area of the makeshift base with the small team she was leading. They had just finished their shift of patrol, and they were given free rein of the limited facility. The room currently consisted of one actual couch, one leather chair, and several stumps used for additional seating. At least it was out of the sun, though.

"So, Sakura, how're things with you and Sasuke?" Ino asked as she walked in with a bowl of rice. It was the first she had asked about her relationship, and Sakura was curious as to why she was bringing it up now.

"I'd say pretty good, why?" the pinkette responded slowly. "Why do you ask?"

Ino waved off what she assumed was suspicion, "Don't worry about me going after him, I'm set on someone else… but I was just wondering how you guys 'handled' the sleeping situation during missions."

Sakura laughed lightly, the stress of possibly arguing with Ino over old shit leaving her body. "Naruto's been really cool about it, and he knows that we won't do anything _too _inappropriate during a mission. He does like to tease though." For some reason, Ino's eyes seemed to haze over at the mention of Naruto.

"Wait, so that means that you guys haven't… you know?"

"We haven't had sex if that's what you're asking. We almost did a few times, but Itachi or my parents usually interrupted us," Sakura said bluntly, only a hint of blush on her face. While different, girl talk could be fun.

"Well, it's great to hear things are going well for you guys! I guess I've also brought it up because of the new guy. I think he's got a thing for pink hair," Ino whispered.

Sakura looked at the door, fully expecting to see Dray, the other member of the temporary team, waltz in. He didn't. "You think he's been flirting with me on the way here?"

Ino's eyes rolled, "Listen, Billboard, if you weren't constantly daydreaming about your emo boytoy you'd have been smothered by how hard he's trying to come on to you. Unprofessional if you ask me."

A tick mark appeared on Sakura's forehead, her irritation at both the comment at the old nickname almost physical. "What's wrong, Pig? Upset that I actually got the guy I wanted?"

Ino scowled and looked away, likely coming up with a retort. The girls were interrupted, however, when Dray actually came in.

"There's the rest of my beautiful team! Sakura I've been looking for you in particular, actually!" the slightly older teen greeted. He was eighteen, if Sakura remembered correctly, almost a full three years older than both her and Ino, and he was still a chunin. Granted, that was standard for most people, but considering the company Sakura kept, she was a little underwhelmed.

"Hello, Dray. Are you enjoying our time off? We've only got another three hours before we're back on duty," Sakura greeted, now listening closely for any signs of the flirtation that Ino was talking about.

"I could think a few better ways to spend a couple of hours, but I've been surviving," the gray-haired chunin said with a smile. If she thought hard enough about it, Sakura could see how that could be suggestive… but she didn't want to jump to conclusions or anything.

Sakura decided to play it safe and try to subtly throw it out there, "I hear you. Ino and I were just talking about girl stuff, we used to do it a lot as kids, but it's become more and more infrequent the older we get."

Ino picked up on the silent hint, "Yeah, but it was nice hearing about your boyfriend again." Ino made sure to draw out the word 'boyfriend' for her friend's sake.

Dray's eye seemed to twitch, but he regained his composure rather quickly. "So, you two knew each other before this mission?"

Sakura nodded as Ino told him, "We actually graduated together. Seems like forever ago, but it hasn't even been two years… and Sakura's already going for her Jonin promotion!"

_'Way to toot my horn, Ino.'_

"That's amazing!" Dray exclaimed, and Sakura was starting to get skeptical of his supposedly unsavory motive. Maybe the knowledge of a boyfriend deterred him? She could definitely respect that.

"You know," Dray started, a sly smile growing on his face, "I could give you a celebratory present early if you wanted. I know someone as pretty as you will get the promotion."

And there went most of the respect Sakura had for him. Boys.

"Are you… hitting on me? Your superior officer who _has a boyfriend?_"

Ino remained silent, opting to see how the scene would play out.

"Well, we're on break and all, and what he doesn't know won't hurt him… but it could do the _opposite _of hurt you."

_'That was pathetic!' _

"Do you know who I am, Dray? Who my boyfriend is? And by extension, who my OTHER extremely protective teammate is?" Sakura asked. She knew that plenty of rumors were circulating. Stories about her team along with a few other up and coming teams. Naruto made sure to get their names well known.

"You're Sakura, but how am I supposed to know your team? And why should I care?"

"Okay, let's try it this way. Who's my supervising officer for my promotion?"

"Kakashi of the Sharingan, everyone knows him."

"And who was his most recent and ONLY genin team?"

"Team… 7?"

"Who consisted of Naruto Namikaze, Sasuke Uchiha, and…?"

"Oh fuck. The Shadow Reaper?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, fuck. And the Dark Angel?"

"Mhmm."

"Let's fuck."

"That's ri-, WHAT THE HELL?" Sakura went from smug to outraged in less than a second.

Dray looked ecstatic. "I would give anything to sleep with someone as famous as you! No one would even believe me if I said I stole the girlfriend of an _Uchiha!_"

"Probably because it'll never happen, and if you keep pushing the subject, I'm going to crush you."

"With your thighs, hopefully!" Dray laughed a crude laugh.

"Let me tell you something, Dray," Sakura stood up and took a step towards him, "I've picked up a few things from my team. One, I don't make empty threats. This is your last warning. Two, it would literally take my one finger to finish you in any fight we may or may not have."

Dray smirked, obviously not taking her seriously despite her closing proximity. She only came up to his chest, and she just didn't look all that intimidating. "And I can promise you that I would only need _two fingers _to finish you."

Sakura gave a flat smile, her lips folding inwards between her teeth as she brought a hand up to his chest.

Then she flicked him. Her middle finger found his sternum, and before he could even scream out in pain he found the opposite wall. Dray crumpled to the floor in a heap, likely a heap with a few broken bones.

"Breaking your team isn't generally the best move to make while on a mission, Sakura," Kakashi said from behind both girls. Neither of them bothered wondering about his entrance as it was Kakashi of all people.

"I can fix him up an hour before we go back on duty, let him suffer for a while. It was that or file for sexual assault, send him home, and then be one man short on the next patrol."

Kakashi hummed in approval, "Okay then, good choice."

Ino laughed, finally breaking her self-induced vow of silence, "Sasuke would be so proud."

* * *

A hundred miles down the border, Sasuke smirked to himself for a reason he didn't understand. Was this feeling… Pride?

"Watcha smiling about, Pussylips? Wet daydream about your girlfriend?" Anko asked him.

Sasuke's lips returned to their preset scowl, "No, and can you pick a different name for me?"

"Nah, it works because every time you talk I want to punch you in the mouth so fucking hard you shit teeth."

"... You have no idea how concerned I am about your mental health."

"What about your health in general?"

"… Fuck."

"Anyway! We have two hours to get you all chummy with the snakes you'll be summoning. I made sure that Lee and Ava won't bother us, so you have my… undivided… attention…"

Sasuke was almost used to her constant sexually charged tone, but he was still worried for Lee and the new girl. She just became a chunin in the last exam, she didn't deserve to be forced to team up with Anko just yet.

"Please tell me you didn't tie them up somewhere."

"Do you want to be upset or lied to?"

Sasuke just shook his head and went through the signs needed to summon his first sake.

"Oh, you're an eager one! Here's the deal, don't think about how much chakra to use, just yank a snake out of your ass and find out which one you'll be partnered with," Anko said something actually helpful for once.

Sasuke did just that, but he was surprised at the drain he felt to his chakra. Before he knew it, he was several dozen feet up in the air. Scales met his hands when he tried to steady himself, and Anko had a pleased look on her face.

"Anko, you had better hope for your sake that it was the new summoner who called me here."

Sasuke coughed to get the snake's attention. "It was me. My name is Sasuke, and if I'm not mistaken you are my partner?"

The snake exhaled in a short, sharp hiss; something Sasuke likened to a chuckled or snort. "One so young partnering with one of my bloodline? You intrigue me, human. I am Ryu, son of Manda and next to inherit the title Boss of my kin."

Sasuke had a stunned look on his face, and Anko's showed only pleasure. Not the perverse kind, surprisingly enough.

"Really? I can't say I expected that… so, how does this partnership thing work?" Sasuke asked, sitting down cross-legged on Ryu's head.

There was a deep rumble within the snake before he spoke again, "We must agree on terms of our contract before you are allowed to summon me to battle. What do you offer me in return for my service?"

Sasuke sat dumbstruck, not prepared in the slightest for a negotiation.

"I assume Anko did not warn you of this?" Sasuke shook his head in response. "I figured as much. Her nature is one of the many reasons I never agreed to work with her, although many of my kin find her intriguing. I for one dislike the constant tarnishing of my kin's name."

That gave Sasuke an idea, "In that case, I offer you respect."

Another hissy laugh, "You would have to give me that regardless!"

"Not just from me," Sasuke continued, "From the Elemental Nations. From the other Summons. I will bring honor back to holders of the Snake contract, and in turn to the Snakes themselves."

This made the large Ryu think. "I am indeed intrigued, young Sasuke. How do I know you will uphold your end of the bargain?"

"Each of my teammates has one of the other two Legendary Three summons. Alongside the Slug and Toad summoner, I plan to erase the evil Orochimaru has added to the Snake's name. We will outshine the Sannin, and I want to do it with you as my partner."

"You are good with your words, Sasuke. That is a good trait for a serpent to have… very well! I accept your proposal provided you simply do not summon me in a battle against my father, Manda. I may rescind this limitation in a year or so when I am closer to fully grown, but as of now I refuse to fight a battle I cannot win."

"I accept, Ryu. I look forward to working with you."

"Hey boys!" Anko called out, "You two have fun meeting the other snakes, I'm going to go untie Ava and Lee."

Sasuke rubbed his temples as she left. "Would you mind staying here and introducing me to your kinsmen? I know that introductions with the more powerful summons can get… confused, especially if someone my age is the summoner."

"I assume you are referring to the toads?"

"Yeah."

"The fact that you can already summon multiple high-tier snakes is impressive, Sasuke. I have no doubt that you will be accepted for your strength, and I have a feeling that you may one day wrench the contract out of Orochimaru's hands."

"Oh, I will. I just haven't decided if I should kill him first or not."

"Ha! Yes, I find you very intriguing indeed, Sasuke."

* * *

Gaara stood straight, stock-still as he looked over the forces below him. Roughly four thousand Suna shinobi had gathered, and they had gathered under _him_. He knew that some of them were still wary of him and Shukaku, but the majority of them had trust that he would keep them safe. And by Kami, he would do his best.

The leaves rustled with the wind, and Gaara felt a presence coming his way. He knew it was Naruto, Kurama to be more exact. Gaara would never forget the feeling of those two, and he could feel them getting closer by the minute. Once Naruto showed up with his backup, Suna would move in and meet up with the Taki nin.

"Bring my siblings here, our guests will be here soon," Gaara said aloud, trusting that the ninja around him would do as told.

He didn't have to wait long, and Temari led Kankuro onto the rocky outcrop that the youngest sibling was stationed on. "You called, Gaara?" she asked as she approached.

"Naruto will be here before too long, we have to get everyone ready to move."

"We can have them all ready in ten minutes," Kankuro said.

"That will be fine."

The two left, and Gaara allowed a small amount of his Biju's chakra out, trusting Naruto to pick up on and find him. Gaara would be lying if he said he wasn't excited to see his first friend.

Naruto didn't make the stoic teen wait long, and he showed up in half the time Gaara thought he would. "Gaara! I thought that was you leaking chakra!"

Gaara raised an eyebrow, "I would hope that no one else has Shukaku's chakra to throw around."

"Was… was that a joke? From you?" Naruto's eyes were as wide as his smile.

Gaara ignored the question despite the mirth hidden behind his eyes. He turned and addressed the two shinobi behind the blond. "Hello, I am Gaara of the Sand, jinchuriki of the Tanuki."

"I am Sai," was the first curt response.

"The name's Sho! Nice to meetcha, Red!" Naruto had to actively try and avoid knocking out the hyperactive teenager.

Gaara didn't comment on either of their odd behaviors and instead asked Naruto, "Is this all of the reinforcements you were sent with? I was expecting you to be leading a few more to help our cause."

Naruto looked puzzled, "Originally I was going to be all that was sent, I'm stuck with these two to teach them how to people. You know how it is."

"Tsunade wanted to send you alone to help me with my four thousand shinobi?" Gaara asked lowly.

Naruto choked on his inhale, causing Sho to laugh at him and his misery. "Sorry, Gaara, I thought you said four _thousand!_"

"I did."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I can pop out a few thousand clones at roughly chunin strength. Maybe that's what she had in mind?"

That seemed to placate the other jinchuriki. "Fine. I'll send her a message when I get back to Suna. Temari and Kankuro will have the forces ready to meet with Taki in a few minutes."

"You aren't staying?"

"I came out mainly to personally greet our Konoha forces and thank them on behalf of Suna, but also because I knew you would be part of them. I didn't know you were to be the majority, but it is what is. Besides, a Kage shouldn't be in the field unless necessary."

"Okay yeah, that makes sensssssswh-wait. What?" Naruto stuttered to a halt.

"I'm the Kazekage, Naruto. I figured Tsunade would tell you. Temari and Kankuro are both Commanders under me, and they each have two thousand shinobi here, I'm only here as a figurehead."

"CAN WE BACK UP TO THE KAZEKAGE PART?" Naruto screeched.

"Red's in charge of everyone, and he picked two people he's in charge of to be in charge of other people. Don't you know how this thing works, Boss?" Sho interrupted calmly.

"Pretty much what your socially inept comrade said, yes," Gaara confirmed, laughter dancing in his eyes.

"But you're like, my age! How come they picked you?" Naruto redoubled his questioning.

"Likely as I am the strongest fighter, son of the previous Kazekage, and already have everyone's respect in the form of fear. I am currently working on eliminating the fear aspect of my leadership, but my council says that it's not too big of an issue."

Naruto smiled then, "So I technically beat Suna's strongest fighter, eh? I beat a Kage?"

Gaara's arms crossed in amusement, "A lot has changed since the exams, Naruto. I have changed."

"That makes two of us," Naruto laughed. There was a bit of a rivalry between the two, and Gaara becoming Kage before Naruto only fueled the fire.

"Everyone is ready to move, Gaara," Kankuro called out as he approached. Temari was trailing not too far behind him, and Naruto noticed that they both walked with the new confidence he would expect of new officers.

"Naruto, it's good to see you again!" The fan wielder said as she approached. "Where are you hiding your forces?"

"Holy hell!" Sho screamed, making everyone present jump. "Hey Boss, if everyone in Suna looks like her can I get a transfer?"

Reactions were… varied. Temari herself was more taken aback than anything, but Kankuro showed all the anger she was lacking. His painted face was drawn back in a fierce scowl, his teeth bared at who he assumed was an idiot. Gaara remained cool in his indifference, but the twitches from his fingers and the shifting sand betrayed him. Naruto, of course, reacted the most visibly. He dropped into a seated position, hanging his head in hands as Kurama laughed his ass off.

"Naruto, you might want to inform your friend that hitting on my sister is not the brightest idea at the moment," Gaara said flatly, his eyes fixed on the horizon.

Before Naruto could say anything Sho opened his mouth again, "What? I didn't hit anybody, but Mr. Painty over there looks mad enough that he might hit _me_. How come he's allowed to hit on me?"

Kankuro relaxed when he found out that Sho was a completely different kind of idiot.

"I'm sorry, Temari, both Sho and Sai here are socially inept. They're here to try and learn how to integrate back into society," Naruto explained as he stood up.

Temari nodded in understanding, looking between the two pale shinobi. "Long-term deep cover missions?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Now satisfied if not put off by Sai's silence, Temari asked, "So where is everyone again? You never answered me."

Gaara spoke then, "Naruto _is _the backup Tsunade sent us. The other two are 'accessories' or 'add ons'."

Both of Gaara's siblings looked shocked for a second, and then Kankuro asked, "Why did she send us _one person? _I don't mean to be rude, Naruto, and I don't want to question the strength of one of the Next Sannin… but how are you going to help our four thousand shinobi?"

Naruto felt his insides stir at 'Next Sannin'.

**"Looks like your team is starting to get famous."**

"Well," Naruto started, preparing to both brag a bit and reassure the puppet master, "I can summon the Toad Boss, his two Brothers, and the Kyuubi into battle. I have a technique that technically gives me unlimited chakra given time to prepare, or I can merge with Kurama for a more destructive set of techniques. And I guess if I really wanted to I could pop out a few thousand clones before dipping into my chakra reserves, but that seems unnecessary."

"Point taken, no need to show off," Kankuro grumbled and threw a friendly punch at Naruto's shoulder.

Sai, bless his ignorant soul, lunged when Kankuro moved to knock Naruto's shoulder. Naruto sighed and caught Sai before he could attack Kankuro. "No, Sai, friends like to slug each other like this. Watch," Naruto threw a fist into Kankuro's shoulder. The large teen didn't rock hardly at all, but he was more than a little amused with Sai's antics.

"I see. I apologize for my ignorance. I will attempt to also punch what friends I make."

Before Naruto could correct or add onto that Sho jumped in place. "Sai! Hey, we're friends right?"

"I don't believe so, no," Sai' response was as flat as ever.

"Good! Then let's become friends!"

Sho threw a heavy punch at Sai, and the usually alert teen was so dumbfounded that he didn't try to avoid it. Instead, the punch landed with full force on his cheek, throwing him several feet and completely knocking him out.

Naruto dragged his hands down his face as both Kankuro and Kurama laughed boisterously. "God DAMN it, Sho…"

The teen in question looked from Sai's unmoving body to Naruto repeatedly, his wide smile looking for some form of approval.

Naruto turned to Temari, "Let's just get moving. Sai will catch up when he wakes up."

* * *

**Well, the war is about to really kick off. Stick around and see who gets kicked**


	11. Chapter 11

**Well, I'm back to writing! And that means we're back to war, hope that's what' you guys wanted, cuz it's been going on for a while. Sorry about that horifying wait, though. I'll try my best not to do it again, but that's all I can really promise.**

**I don't own this**

* * *

One week. Naruto had been with Suna and Taki forces for a single week, and his hair was likely starting to turn gray. No more 'Gold flash', it'll be gray now. Sai and Sho had proven to be more than capable when it came to actual work, but any moment that they had free time Naruto felt like he was babysitting. Between the petty arguments and squabbles, the antagonizing of the other shinobi, and the nearly constant questions Naruto was ready to have them take a long walk off a short pier.

On the other hand, the two seemed to work tirelessly, and they had helped the rest of the shinobi really dig into the terrain. The majority of the border now had deep trenches, defendable and/or hidden bases, and more than a few traps were strewn about. Naruto had made the rounds with both Temari and Kankuro, Sai and Sho occasionally tagging along, and had helped and overseen the building of the fortifications. A Few hundred clones could go a long way.

As it was now, Sai was pointedly ignoring a loud Sho while Naruto tried to eat his meal in peace. By the sounds of spy reports, it may well be one of the last peaceful meals they would have for a while…

Iwa had sent a force out of the village. The exact numbers were currently unknown, but a few thousand was a relatively safe bet according to a number of spies. There had also been some form of infighting which delayed the deployment of those shinobi, something that both relieved and worried Temari and Kankuro. It had bought them time, but since the spies couldn't actually get into the village they were in the dark about what the Iwa nin were fighting about.

Naruto finished his meal, stood, and sighed loudly to attract the attention of the children. "Come on, we have another round to make today, and the Sand Siblings are probably already waiting for us."

They were. And Kankuro didn't look very happy when he heard Sho before seeing the trio. "Naruto, good to see you so punctual."

Ignoring the light sarcasm, the blond replied with, "Thanks, it's good to see you like to be early. Really inspiring."

Sai interrupted the banter then, "Naruto, were we not late by three minutes?"

Temari smirked to herself as Naruto forced a tight smile. "Thank you, Sai. Let's start the inspection of the troops so I can ram my head into a tree."

**"As much as I've 'changed' I still enjoy watching you suffer."**

The five took off, and Temari tried to keep the mood as light as a war would allow. "Hey Naruto, I think you'll be pleased to hear that Konoha sent a spy into Iwa for us since they dispatched those troops."

Naruto didn't say it, but he knew who it was. Only Jiraiya would be crazy enough to infiltrate an enemy village like this. Luckily he was good enough to do it, too. Hell, if Tsunade wanted to, she could have Jiraiya use his Hirashin kunai to have Naruto assassinate Onoki.

"It won't be long before we have some more intel, then," Naruto responded with a small smirk.

"Confident in your village, I see," Kankuro prodded, "Or at least the ninja in it."

"Not… ALL of them, no," Naruto looked behind him. Sai was walking normally, but he was ignoring Sho. The air-headed Root member was balancing a spinning Kunai on the tip of his tongue. Chakra training, yes, but it still looked really stupid.

There was a lull in all sound, and Naruto picked up on the change in the atmosphere a split second before the Sand Siblings did.

"Dodge."

Four of the five members of the little group leaped up and away, leaving a dazed Sho to bear the brunt of an attack. A massive chunk of earth and rock hat crashed into him, sending him flying into a tree, his kunai forgotten as his head bled freely.

"Fucking hell!" Naruto sent a pair of clones in the direction of the Jutsu's origin, and they were soon followed by a Suna and a Taki nin. Naruto rushed to Sho's side.

Kankuro cursed lowly as he followed. "Why the fuck did we not have sensors focusing underground? These shits live in a rock, for fuck's sake!"

Temari sent of a lone shinobi to inform the sensor corp. of the threat. "Naruto, how is the damage?"

The blond jinchuriki propped Sho up against the tree, and he let out a sigh of relief as his unfocused eyes opened. "Conscious, but he's losing blood. Sai, bring a medic here, I don't feel comfortable moving him like this."

"Understood."

Sho's head lolled upwards, and he tried to focus on one of the several Naruto's in front of him. "Wouldn't you guess, huh boss? They're here."

"What?" Naruto asked, "Sho, don't speak if it's too hard. You took a heavy shot, just wait for a med nin. And we know that Iwa's here. They snuck underneath and behind us."

Inside Sho's head was a mess.

_Flashes of memories, all bombarding him at once. His mother and father, happy with him even though they had to remain secret. A Konoha Kunoichi and an Iwa Shinobi, who could have guessed?_

"No no, boss, Not Iwa! The readers! They're back… and it's been so long."

"Sho you aren't making any sense buddy."

_Flash. His mother's corpse, slamming onto the wooden floor in front of him hard enough to splash the pooling blood onto young Sho's face. Was that even his name?_

_Flash. His father, crucified by four tanto to the wall of the living room, writhing in agony for no sin other than being born in Iwa._

_Flash. Danzo. "Rescuing" him from a broken home, the Root members behind him covered in the blood of his family._

"Naruto, the medic is here," Temari said softly.

"It's alright, boss. I'm not the author of this story or even my own story, but he who is won't let me die."

"Is he always like this?" the man who passed as a medic asked.

_Flash. Torture. Failed seals. More torture. Successful seals. _

"No, he's usually less crazy. Not by much, but most of what he says makes sense."

_Flash, and a memory._

_"I do not trust the Kyuubi Jinhuriki. We will use him to finish reforming Sai and Sho, but as soon as he becomes too bothersome for our plans he will have to be eliminated."_

_"Danzo-sama, how will we manage this? We do not have anyone currently capable."_

_With Sho's final conditioning, his last seal will force him to carry out the assassination once he is closer to the boy. We may need Namikaze for the war, but afterwards, I will be sure to remove both him and our current excuse of a Hokage."_

_"I look forward to working with you, sir."_

_"Likewise."_

"His concussion is pretty severe, and the swelling is already causing problems. I've managed to stop the internal bleeding, though," the medic said.

"Where's the boss? He's awesome, I'm sure the author will make him fix me. I'm too beautiful to die right now."

Sho was thinking clearly now, although no matter how hard he tried his mouth wouldn't say what his brain wanted to shout.

_"Naruto! Don't trust Danzo! Don't trust ROOT! Warn… warn the Hokage… and don't, trust, ME!"_

"It figures that this would happen now, you know?"

"No, I don't know. Why don't you tell me? Just stay awake with me, okay?" the medic urged while Naruto watched over his shoulder.

"It makes sense that this would happen now. It feels like that the last few chapters of my life have gone too well. Almost as if the great author has been granting us reprieve… and his divine judgment has decided that the time for peace has ended. He's a real ass hat, that guy."

"Yes, I agree. What else do you have to say?"

"You know, doc, for as many lives as I believe I've saved… I think that the weight of my sins will drown me in the blood of the innocent that my hands are dipped in…"

And the crazy, albeit brainwashed, ninja succumbed to his head injury. He was rendered unconscious, but the medic assured everyone that Sho would live.

As Naruto left with Temari to mobilize four thousand shinobi, Sho's clear thoughts faded away along with his concussion.

Danzo used a very barbaric, ancient kind of mental seal. The state of mind that a person was in whenever the seal was applied would be the time that the seal would be at its weakest. In times past, rulers would use the seal on troops that were under the influence of a variety of drugs, but that was a scenario that could be accidentally replicated.

In Sho's case, being so concussed and on death's door was the perfect time for his seal to be applied. Any Root member that badly injured was supposed to be burned alive by his comrades, so as to not leave a trace or slow down the group. This was a rare occurrence indeed…

"I guess it's time to stop messing around, huh?" Naruto asked as he walked alongside Temari.

"Yeah, time to really show us why you were sent alone. If they're close enough to send a vanguard for an assassination attempt, they're close enough to attack. Our scouts must have been picked off."

"You want me to send off a few clones? I don't mind abusing them."

"If you would. Save me a few scouts and it's a good start to earning your keep!"

Naruto obliged, and before another moment passed three clones had sped off. "I guess this is where the war really starts, huh?"

"Yeah. They're around somewhere, and I'd imagine that before dusk tomorrow we'll see bodies. I'll have to find Baki-sensei and get some more advice…" Temari trailed off as she finished speaking.

Naruto nodded slowly as his gaze trailed off mush the same way Temari's voice did. "I guess there's no helping it. These last few weeks I've been just coasting, putting off this idea that I'm going to kill more people than I ever have before. Might as well get over it, huh? Time to start getting serious again."

Kankuro walked up to the pair as Naruto finished, "Darn, I was starting to like smart ass Naruto!"

Naruto smirked, "That makes two of us."

* * *

Sasuke pulled his sword from the chest of a Kumo shinobi, the other two in the enemy scouting group being handled by Anko's hands and Ryu's fangs. With his dying breath, the Kumo nin bleeding at Sasuke's feet threw one last kunai at the Uchiha's throat, one that was easily avoided.

"There'll be more where that came from!" Anko said gleefully, wiping down her bloody hands with the man's ruined shirt.

"Summon me back when they appear, young Sasuke," Ryu's flat command was the only precursor to his disappearing. Sasuke had been in the middle of a session practicing fighting alongside Ryu when the scouting party chanced upon them.

Sasuke gave a grunt in true Uchiha fashion, sheathing his sword as he did so. He had hoped that they wouldn't see combat for a little while longer, and now he only hoped that Sakura was having a better time than he was.

* * *

Sakura wiped her forearm across her brow, only really managing to replace the sweat with blood. Mist had attacked during the night, and Sakura had been in the medical tents ever since. Now the sun was doing its best to reflect into the tent Sakura was in.

In the next room was Ino, doing her absolute best to break the minds of the prisoners that Dray dragged in. The older boy had started the day strong, but now he was covered in both sweat and bruises. Able-bodied prisoners weren't always compliant.

To make matters worse, when the Mist shinobi found out that they were being taken to a Yamanaka they often killed themselves before Ino could fully grasp their minds. Sakura routinely checked on her team between patients, and every trip she was either healing Dray or sharing soldier pills with Ino.

Kakashi had left her to her own devices two hours into the attack to go and help out, trusting that the steady rhythm Sakura's team had managed would maintain itself. It had.

"You're Sakura, right?" the woman stretched out on the cot managed to ask between grit teeth. "Tsunade's pink-haired apprentice? You can save my leg, right?" she was panting by the end.

Sakura leaned over the trembling woman to see the damage.

It wasn't pretty. Everything from halfway down her thighs was ripped to shreds with the occasional bone protruding from the mangled flesh. Four inches above the damage was a tourniquet, two inches higher than usual. Even the field medic knew she would have to amputate.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said lowly. The woman's eyes went wide as the pinkette's hand went to her neck, striking the nerve to put her under. They were out of anesthesia.

There had been plenty of people who suffered similar injuries that she'd been able to save. Removing part of a calf or resetting a few bones would only require intensive therapy later down the line, but Sakura didn't have time to save this woman's leg. There were three other people waiting for her. Motioning to an assistant, Sakura formed a chakra scalpel and got to work.

* * *

Naruto sat at a table alongside Temari and Kankuro, waiting for Waterfall's representatives to show up. Naruto knew that the three of them would be overlooked due to their age, but they could at least show up on time.

The door opened suddenly as two Taki shinobi strolled in. They were both much older than anyone had expected, but one thought of Danzo and the Old man made Naruto expect anything from them.

"We're all here, good. We get started right away," the older lady began. Her male counterpart pulled out her seat for her, and he followed suit soon afterward.

Kankuro looked like he wanted to say something, but his older sister was the first to speak. "We have our shinobi out on the line right now holding of Iwa's main force. What are your plans for a defense?" her voice was heated, likely due to the fact that Suna was the only one actually fighting.

"Defense?" the older man started. Naruto figured that he was the only person who hadn't been introduced yet since the other four seemed to already know each other fairly well. Naruto also knew that Sai and a healed Sho would be listening in for any clues about their secondary objective.

"You know," Naruto interjected, "that thing one does when they have something they want to keep?"

"We're too old for any of that anymore. We are simply here to show Konoha that Taki and her people stand with you, the planning is to be left up to Konoha and Suna."

Naruto took a deep, aggravated breath in as Temari and Kankuro bristled.

Kankuro spoke next, "You kept us waiting for twenty minutes for this?" he was understandably heated.

"Why aren't there any Taki forces backing us up on the field?" Temari demanded.

"Children," the old woman droned, "I am just like every other member on Waterfall's elder council. I make few, yet important, decisions and let the youth handle everything else." The old man nodded in agreement.

"And why aren't there any Konoha forces fighting, hmm? This is their war, after all," the wrinkled man asked.

"Because you've been holding them up for twenty minutes," Naruto almost snarled.

"You? You're all that Konoha sent? Pity."

Temari and Kankuro stiffened. They knew what was about to happen.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your names."

"Kurotatsu Jintou," said the man.

"Mina Jintou," the woman chimed immediately after.

"And do you happen to know who I am?" Naruto pressed.

Mina eyed the blond with clear distaste, "Yes, we do. Jinchuriki," She spit to the side after saying the word. "And a child no less."

"You disrespect Konoha like this?" Kankuro stood as he growled.

"Konoha disrespects US! We face a powerful enemy and they send a boy! We didn't expect Shikaku Nara but this is foolish!"

The room went silent. Precious time and lives were being lost, and Taki was to blame.

"I see you don't appreciate jinchuriki very much. You have already managed to insult both me and my home, let's see what you have to say about my _kind_" Naruto hissed the end of his sentence. Kankuro sat back down. "What happened to the Nanabi Jinchuriki?"

"Someone took her. We couldn't care less, and the council was unanimous in refusing a rescue party. It wasn't important, but this fight is."

Naruto knew that these old fools would die tonight. If Sai and Sho didn't do it then he would.

Temari was the voice of reason during the escalating matters. "Here's what's going to happen. You two will return to Taki and deliver a message. 'You have two options. Send every Shinobi you are willing to offer along with a competent commander or make an enemy of both Konoha and Suna. The disrespect of your chosen elders has cost your village an alliance with at least Suna, and Konoha will no doubt follow."

"Ha! You children don't have the authority!" Mina's voice was losing some of its confidence. Being responsible for the destruction of one's village might do that to a person.

"The Kazekage is our brother and hand-picked us for this mission," Kankuro stared down Kurotatsu as he spoke.

"I am the next best candidate for Hokage, and the Clan head of both the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans," Naruto added, standing as he did so. "Now if you will excuse me, I just felt one of my Hirashin Markers get thrown in a place I'm needed much more than here. I'll leave the Kyuubi to help out my _Suna_ allies," Naruto smiled at Temari then, showing his seriousness.

"Wh-where could be more important than here?" Mina asked.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and glared at the woman. "Iwa."

* * *

Sakura had just finished a six-hour shift in the tents, and now she was resting with her team on the far end of the medical bay. They had a four-hour break before they were given their roles for the next six hours, but Sakura had woken up early. Almost an hour early. Odd, considering how exhausted she was.

She must have healed a hundred people on her own. And lost a dozen. She knew it was inevitable, and everyone she lost wouldn't even have survived if Tsunade herself had been present, but it still hurt to know they passed because she wasn't good enough. She would get better.

"Sakura," Kakashi stumbled in, his blood-covered hands leaving imprints on the tent canvas. "You're switching spots, and I'm taking over your team as the leader while you're gone. They need a field medic right now, and Mist seems to have a few Kumo shinobi that have erected a powerful Earth Dome to wait for reinforcements. I volunteered you to bust it down since no one else could."

Sakura looked at her sensei and took immediate note of his state. It wasn't so much that he was overly injured just extremely exhausted. He had been operating nonstop since the attack started.

"Don't you need a break a little longer than an hour?" she asked quietly.

"Jonin have to learn to fight through the fatigue, Sakura. That's why I didn't mind getting you up early. Now, go make us proud."

* * *

Sasuke growled as he bit down on the deep cut his forearm received. The flame leaking from his mouth cauterized it quickly, bringing silent tears to the Uchiha's eyes. Lee was in front of him, first gate open as he caved skulls with every blow. The brown-haired Ava stood to his right, scribbling on tags while Lee covered his team.

Ava was a new Chunin in the Sealing Corps, but since she was just barely touching on what Naruto knew a few years ago Sasuke thought she was in over her head. The endless supply of bomb tags was nice though.

Ryu had fought himself into a corner off to the side, and Sasuke considered forcibly sending him home for now. Anko was with him, though, so Sasuke would wait. His arm no longer bleeding, Sasuke jumped back into the fight next to Lee. The bushy-browed ninja had opened the second gate, and Sasuke had to admit that he was likely as fast as himself and Naruto now.

"Ava!" Sasuke called out. Since she was behind the pair now, he also gave her a hand signal just in case she missed the verbal cue.

"Duck!" her voice pierced the sounds of the surrounding battle.

Sasuke and Lee did so, and the girl behind them threw a pair of kunai forward. There were four Kumo shinobi left in front of the boys, and they paid almost no attention to the two widespread projectiles. Until the tags unfurled from the line that connected them.

The four tried to leap backward, but the line had already gotten caught in their legs. The resounding explosion shook the battlefield, and the screams that followed afterward sounded distant in comparison.

"Nice shot, Ava!" Lee congratulated as the cloak of chakra the two open gates gave him dissipated.

"Thanks, you two catch a breather while I go put down the two that survived."

Sasuke saw what she meant, and there were indeed two Kumo shinobi that had lived through the explosion. Naruto's tags would have blown away ALL of them, but that's a pretty high standard. Neither of them had legs, but unfortunately only one had gone numb from the shock. The woman who hadn't was clutching at her bleeding stumps, cutting her hands on the jagged bone as she tried to stop the bleeding.

"Thank you," Sasuke muttered as he averted his gaze.

Lee and Sasuke took the time to look around them, seeing their comrades engaged in similar battles. Anko and Ryu were fighting off half a dozen shinobi, but there didn't seem to be any struggle in Anko's crazed smile. Then again you could never tell with that woman. What did Itachi see in her?

"Sasuke, one O'clock, there is a most youthful opponent! He has eliminated two teams so far!" Lee's voice was strained in the efforts to stay positive. He likely wanted to rip that man apart.

Sasuke looked in that direction as well, and he saw who Lee was talking about. The man was in his early twenties by the look of him, and he was wielding a long Katana as he ran through the third team of Konoha Shinobi. Sasuke would put an end to him.

"Lee, take Ava and regroup with Anko. Finish off her opponents and then come aid me if I still need it. I doubt I will."

"Yes, Sir! Come, oh, youthful Ava!" Lee seemed to take comfort in the fact that Sasuke would handle the situation. Over the mission, Lee found out that when Sasuke went to handle something it was definitely handled.

Sasuke moved in front of the approaching shinobi and drew his own katana, his Eternal Mangekyo blazing.

"Oh? The baby Uchiha?" the stranger asked, raising his sword.

"You seem to have me at an advantage. What's your name?" Sasuke asked warily. He had become very cautious about talking during fights thanks to Naruto. He saw the headband was from Mist and was further confused. That was the only one he had seen so far.

"I have no name yet, but once I become the next member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist I'll have an answer! Unfortunately for you, you will never get the chance to learn it!"

Why was he here? Fighting for Kumo seemingly alone?

Sasuke didn't have time to question it further since the nameless ninja had engaged with a flurry of strikes. Sasuke was forced onto the defensive, and he could tell right away that this man had much more training with a sword than he did. Sasuke stayed defensive for a few long seconds, but he began to notice the intricate patterns that Zabuza liked to use. The gaps were longer, too, since Zabuza was much better than either of the two combatants.

Sasuke launched a single counter, right at the end of a sequence he knew Zabuza used to bait him into attacking. The gap was too large to be a real bait, so Sasuke felt confident he was safe to strike.

"Oh! The baby Uchiha has some skills with a blade! How did this happen?"

Sasuke smirked, deciding that the fight was over. "Zabuza Momoichi taught me, and you have no hope of ever reaching that man's level."

Just as Sasuke expected, the nameless nin was shell-shocked by the news, and in that split second Sasuke summoned the concentration needed for Ameterasu. The flames would end the fight.

Except they didn't. The sword was in front of the nameless man's chest suddenly, and it caught aflame instead of his torso. "That Demon taught you! Then I will take pleasure in killing both an Uchiha and a student of the last generation of Swordsmen!" then he flicked his sword, sending the flames to the ground in a burning puddle.

"How?" Sasuke asked as he was put on the defensive once more. He would have to find a way through this without his flames. His own skills likely wouldn't work either, since this man was honestly almost as good as Zabuza. Sasuke could always use Susanoo, but the drain from that would make it a last resort. Worst case scenario, he would wait for Lee and Anko as a backup.

"I know you Uchiha like your fire, so I am fighting with Water Chakra coursing through my blade! I can cut through any fire you blow at me, or slough off any of your black sorcery!"

Sasuke smiled then, an honest to goodness smile. That's why Naruto stressed staying silent during fights. Water Chakra, huh? How well does it hold against lightning…?

A different opening caught Sasuke's eye and using his Mangekyo he memorized the sequence that led up to it. Another three seconds of hard raining blows and Sasuke knew it was coming. Sasuke channeled his lightning Chakra the way Anko and Itachi had shown him as he struck back.

The nameless man felt the powerful shock and his fingers numbed. His sword dropped, and his eyes filled with fear. Sasuke ended him the way he knew Zabuza would want to go, by the blade. His head rolled down his chest before hitting his toes, and Sasuke smiled in grim relief.

Time to meet back up with Anko.

* * *

Sakura made her way to the front lines as quickly as she could, hoping to get Mist's defenses down before they could regroup. She healed the occasional shinobi on her way out, but for the most part, the other field medics were performing well enough. It was rare that Sakura's skills were truly tested, but when they were it was clear that no one else could do it.

She saw the massive construct before she reached Konoha's front line. It was truly impressive, and she understood why Mist needed extra Earth users shipped in. It was much like that oto nin Jirobo's Earth Dome but supersized.

"Sakura! Kakashi said you would be here soon!" Gai greeted her. "I don't see a way to break that dome without opening at least five of the gates, which is something I would prefer to avoid until it's needed. You don't have such a restriction, though."

Sakura looked at the construct again, then back to the faces of the expectant Konoha shinobi. Then, channeling her inner Sasuke, she smirked. "With Tsunade's strength technique I shouldn't need five."

The cheers that followed grew when she opened the third gate, and then she was gone. Gai followed her movements easily but most present couldn't. Suddenly, she was above the dome, and there was a loud and resounding _Crack! _As the dome started to split and crumble. She could have obliterated it if she would have listened to Gai and took the time to open five gates, but she HAD to show off… Oh well, she healed her broken hand before she even got back to the cheering crowd.

"Now let's get back to work, my youthful comrades!" Gai shouted as he charged back forward.

* * *

_Sometime before…_

Jiraiya had done it. He was in Iwa, and no one was the wiser! The constant rain didn't seem to deter anyone, though, and he had to work to remain inconspicuous in the busy streets. He was in the civilian section of the village, and the few civilians permitted in the village were bustling to get what supplies they could. Jiraiya knew all too well the hard times that war could bring on the people.

Jiraiya made his way to a bar, hoping to score both some info and some tail. Eh, old habits die hard. Opening the door, Jiraiya smelled exactly what he was looking for. Hard liquor and vomit. Most people here would be too far gone to realize that he wasn't supposed to be here.

Taking a seat at a booth just off of the center of the wall, Jiraiya waved over a barmaid. "Bottle of Sake if you've any left, miss," Jiraiya said gruffly. There was no real reason to change his voice, these were civilians after all, but it never hurt to get into the habit early.

"We're running low, the cost is up," the maid gave him a look, possibly suspicious that he didn't already know this.

Grumbling for a show, Jiraiya followed with, "I knew I should have been in before today… Fine, I'll pay whatever the extra is. I just have to lose this damned edge."

A quick flash of coin was all the extra encouragement she needed.

As Jiraiya waited he strained his hearing to pick up anything the drunken workers were saying. Of course, there was the usual complaining and talk of the barmaids, but a few things actually stood out.

"Man this new Tsuchikage is a real hard-ass ain't he?"

"Yeah, and that defective Suna guy with him ain't no *hiccup* none better."

"Did ya hear the rumors about that Dedra? He used to be one of us."

"Nah, he wouldn't have been allowed to be Kage if he actually left. I think he just went undercover!"

"Then how do you explain his Sashori friend?"

"He must have defected from Suna when he met the Tsuchikage!"

Jiraiya did his best to keep his face passive and then smiled lecherously at the woman who brought him his sake. Being a pervert was both a blessing and a curse!

Taking a swig, Jiraiya used the bottle to hide his scowl. Onoki was no longer the Tsuchikage. This in itself was news... and rather big news at that. What made matters worse was that it sounded like Deidara had returned to Iwagakure. How he got the shinobi to accept him Jiraiya had no clue.

Based on the intel that Obito had disclosed, Jiraiya figured that 'Sashori' was Sasori of the Red Sand. Not too hard to figure out if you already knew the members in Akatsuki… but what did this mean? Did Iwa support Akatsuki or found them? Has Akatsuki taken over Iwa?

Things weren't looking good, but they could always get better. There was more than one occasion that Jiraiya had managed to find something of use in the midst of horrible news. All he had to do was keep looking.

Jiraiya left after finishing his sake, stumbling slightly to give the impression that he had drank too much. Halfway down the street, he noticed that something was very, very wrong.

What was once a bustling marketplace was now a ghost town. Not a single person was present, and Jiraiya was immediately wary. The light drizzle started to slow, and then it finally came to a stop. Much too suddenly for Jiraiya's liking.

"What's this? One of the Legendary Sannin, un?" came a playful voice.

Jiraiya didn't know the voice personally, but he had a bad feeling because of it.

"What are you doing in my village, old-timer?" a blond man walked out of an alleyway at the opposite end of the street, smiling as he spoke. He was wearing the robes of a Kage.

"Deidara, I presume? Lovely place you got here, wonderful booze," Jiraiya complimented as he furiously planned within his mind.

_Okay, what was his thing again? Clay-based explosions? I can work around that, and hopefully, he will avoid the bigger ones to save the buildings here. _

"Got it in one, un!"

There was a shift below Jiraiya, and only years and years of surviving ambushes saved him from the metallic tail that burst from the earth. A robed, hunched body followed behind it. Jiraiya avoided the attack completely, but he was still on edge. This had to be Sasori of the Red Sand, the Akatsuki member who Obito said partnered with Deidara. Sasori made his way to stand next to the Tsuchikage, not a word spoken to Jiraiya.

"It seems that I'm outnumbered," Jiraiya said smoothly.

"No need to pretend here, Jiraiya. I remember you from the wars, and I know you can even these odds," Sasori rasped, his voice ironically sounding as if there was sand in his throat.

Jiraiya made a split-second decision and sped through the summoning process. Deidara tried to step forward and stop him, but Sasori held out a hand to stop the explosion user. "No, Deidara, wait and see what strength the Sannin summons. Most brats will never witness it."

Jiraiya finished, and in a poof of smoke, a pair of elderly toads appeared on his shoulders.

"Ha! The great 'Jiraiya the Gallant' must be so old he can't even summon the powerhouses he used to! This will be a cakewalk, Sasori my man!" Deidara laughed as he dug his hands into a pouch at his side.

"So what if the three of us are a bit older? Now it's three on two!" Jiraiya responded, hoping beyond hope that they would underestimate him. This could _not _become a long fight. Jiraiya had to get this information home.

"No, Deidara, you idiot. We are going to witness the Sannin's greatest technique. Likely one of Konoha's greatest techniques, and we will be able to test our art against it."

_Damnit, he remembers too much! I guess I just leave such an impression on people…_

"Jiraiya, you better have a good reason for calling us here!" Ma shouted as she took a swing at the sannin's skull.

Taking the hit with a feigned scowl, Jiraiya said, "We've got a pair of Akatsuki looking at us, Ma. One of them is still green behind the ears and the other one fought in the same wars as we did."

"That toad is his mother? I didn't see that coming but it sure explains a hell of a lot!" Deidara snickered to his cloaked partner.

"Stop talking. Attack him before he gets serious or we'll likely be dead. A form of this technique was used by the First Hokage to subdue the nine Biju."

Deidara paled at the news, frowned, and stuck his hands back into the clay pouches at his sides.

"It also improves my hearing, sorry," Jiraiya said cheerily. He moved, struck at Sasori's head, and was a few yards behind Deidara before the younger man could react to his actions.

Sasori knew what to expect, roughly. When he saw the incoming fist, he ducked at the last moment, tilting his head just enough to move to the side and beneath the opposing force. Much to his momentary surprise, Jiraiya did not follow up with a second attack. He sped past, Deidara still standing still like an idiot.

Sasori was prepared to shout a warning to Deidara, but he was cut off as his head exploded backward off of his body.

"W-what?!" Deidara exclaimed, his hands bringing out the still molding clay as he took in his fallen comrade. "You missed him! I saw it!"

"Then your eyes must be worse than mine, boy!" Pa grinned as he rested on his perch.

"Surrender now, and I won't kill you."

Jiraiya's tone was the same as the one Deidara had gotten used to hearing. The mirth was gone, the carefree undertone was absent. All that was left was a chilling feeling that whatever this man said, he meant it. Too bad Deidara had already set his trap.

The tiny, bug-like bombs had crawled out of Deidara's pouch the first few moments he had stuck his hands in. They had seeped into cracks around the battlefield, the walls and roads acting as nearly perfect trenches and cover for them to approach the target. The two, bigger, more powerful bombs shaped like birds were ready to fly from Daidara's palms, just as soon as the Sannin was distracted.

"At least you were polite, un!"

Jiraiya's head snapped around, the extra sense granted to him from Sage Mode firing rapid warning signals. And then the explosions started.

First to his right and back, forcing him to jump forwards a split second before the explosions hit. They weren't large but numerous enough to throw him off enough to be vulnerable. He couldn't let that happen.

Unfortunately, the bombs behind him only really acted to herd him to a larger cluster of the hidden explosives, and he was soon engulfed in the tiny infernos. His mind was completely occupied by avoiding the hundreds of small bangs as well as the shrapnel each caused. Thanks to Sage mode Ma, Pa, and himself was getting by without a scratch.

There it was again, a massive incoming sense of _danger_. The small explosions increased in both number and intensity, and the impending dread made its way onto Jiraiya. Thinking as fast as he could, he wrapped himself in his hair, safe from almost any threat.

Deidara smirked as his two, larger bombs flew into the Sannin, the entire street overtaken by the ensuing explosion. As the dust began to Settle, Deidara felt a familiar presence to his side.

"You took too long, and you damaged too much with your last attack," Sasori chided, his voice much lighter now, and his appearance just as altered.

He was now a perfect, wooden replica of a young man, a living doll controlled by some unseen puppeteer.

"It got the job done though, so stop complaining, un!"

Sasori laughed. ACTUALLY laughed. The sound scared Deidara more than the Sannin ever did. "Do you really think you could kill one of the Sannin with that? If I didn't ask for help, at least one of us would die in this fight."

Before Deidara could ask what he meant, he saw the rooftops. Well, what was left of the rooftops around him after the two large explosions? Rows upon rows of Iwa shinobi had gathered, not so much behind their new Kage but in front of one of Konoha's strongest. Deidara could dream, though.

"Pity, really. I was hoping I could go another few years without destroying another village," Jiraiya's voice rang out, the flat, serious tone sending shivers down Deidara's spine once again.

"Un, I guess you were right, I might need to use a C3 on him to kill him."

"Not in your village, idiot."

Jiraiya looked around him, taking in the massive crowd while Ma and Pa conversed quietly. He could handle the small fry himself, but with a pair of S-class missing-nin here he might want some backup. It had been a while since he got to fight alongside Naruto, anyway.

"Well, if you got to call in reinforcements, I might as well do so too. I'll settle for just one though."

The Hirashin kunai was in his hand in an instant, spinning as he readied to throw it. Just before he could, however, there was an impossibly fast, black streak. It hit the kunai and sent it to the dirt, likely not fast enough to alert Naruto to his need. Nothing should be able to be thrown too fast for Jiraiya to follow, not in Sage Mode…

"Unfortunately, 'Gama-Sennin', I am afraid you'll have to remain alone in this fight. Although, it will likely only be against myself."

Jiraiya followed the voice with his eyes, narrowing them as he did so. Before a full second passed, his gaze settled on a face he had only been able to see recently in his dreams.

"Yahiko?"

His past student's knee to his gut sent him flying through building after building, his body traveling in a painful ball to the outskirts of Iwa as his mind went back in time. Both were in pain, but only one of them was showing the bruises...


	12. Chapter 12

Well, The burnout has started to leave me, but I'm still going to have to go at this slower than I'd like for a bit. I was hoping to have this story wrapped up by the end of January since that would be the one year mark of the series, but oh well.

On the bright side! While I was burnt out of writing anything for this particular story, I did manage to jot down a few chapters for my next project. I don't know if I have any My Hero Academia fans reading, but if I do keep an eye out for the story set directly after this one.

Now, enjoy this thing I don't own

* * *

"Hmm, it has been quite some time since I've heard that name," said the _floating _man in front of Jiraiya.

At this point, Jiraiya would happily accept the sight before him as a ghost. Yahiko…

"This will likely be the last time, however."

Moving cautiously to his knee as Ma and Pa whispered to each other, Jiraiya asked, "Is it really you, Yahiko? Where's Konan? Is Nagato with her?"

The last name caught the interest of both the Yahiko look-alike and the toads atop Jiraiya's shoulders. "Nagato… I haven't heard that name in an even longer stretch of time…"

The man leveled his eyes with Jiraiya being somehow both dead and full of hidden emotion. That was when Jiraiya saw them. The Rinnegan gazing at him told him all he really needed to know.

"I may be getting old, but of you three kids only Nagato had those eyes. You aren't really your best friend, are you, Nagato?" Jiraiya flicked his eyes back to the crowd of ninja crowding the Hirashin kunai nervously. He had to keep Yah – _Nagato _talking until he could come up with a plan to get back to his only means of backup and escape.

"Yes, you are getting old, and that is why I will indulge your curiosities. And you may forget returning to the kunai, Naruto will not be joining us."

"Jiraiya," Ma whispered, "will the Hirashin mark on your back reach far enough to Naruto? Or does it have to be the kunai?"

"He's in Suna, Ma. If the Kunai can even reach him it will take a _lot _of chakra just to get the signal there," the Sannin answered gravely. The tattoo he had would have been lucky to make it halfway across the Land of Fire.

"First, I will ask you to indulge me. Konan asked me to get an answer for her if I ever received the chance."

_So she is alive… is she with the Akatsuki as well?_

"Why did you abandon us? It hurt Konan and Yahiko terribly, although their love for you never wavered."

Despite being in the middle of a fight, Jiraiya felt his heart ache. That really _was _ the way it went. For better or for worse he had abandoned those three kids.

"We were told you were dead, Nagato… I went back and looked in all of our safe houses after your brush with Hanzo. I was hopeful, but I never found anything."

"I see. Konan will be less upset knowing this. Thank you for easing the burden on her, I will grant you a swift death in thanks."

_Fuck, I don't have a plan yet!_

"Just Konan? What about Yahiko?"

Nagato took real pause at the words. "This body is all that is left of the child I called my friend. He was indeed killed by the Salamander, so I made the decision to use his body as my first Path to honor him."

It was getting more and more difficult for Jiraiya to look at this objectively. This wasn't some random villain he was pitted against. This was once a child who loved Jiraiya like a father. A little boy with a lot of uncontrollable power, and Jiraiya had failed him.

"Why… whay are you doing this, Nagato?!"

"Nagato died the same day Yahiko did. You may call me Pein, if you so wish to address me in your final minutes on this Earth."

Gritting his teeth, Jiraiya heard it. The plan Ma and Pa had come up with, a powerful audio genjutsu. The other toads and frogs in the nearby stream would help mask the chant, but the distraction would likely increase the time required for them to harmonize. If he could distract Pein long enough…

"Fine. _Pein. _Why are you doing all of this? This isn't what I taught you kids. This isn't the peace you wanted as a child!"

Oblivious to the growing sounds of nature and singing frogs, Pein answered, "You taught us nothing of the world, _sensei. _I will call you that in remembrance of what things were, and nothing more. Boys grow into men, and we learned that the peace you were after was part of a constant cycle of war, and all we could hope to do was fall into the cycle and survive. We tried, for years, to do things your way. Yahiko died for the cause. And I… I grew even more. The Pain made me grow, beyond what man can. Boys become men, inevitably. Men, unfortunately, can be forced to become gods."

Another minute or so of the song and Jiraiya could make his move. He didn't know if he could handle hearing of even more of his own failure for that long.

"I will teach this world the Peace you taught us, but in a way that will ensure the lesson stays. Pain. Pain will force the world to grow up, as it did to me. And in fear of further Pain, peace will reign. Shaky it may be, it will be infinitely better than a constant cycle of war."

Jiraiya couldn't help himself, "No, Nagato, peace forged from violence will not last. Maybe mine won't either, but it would last longer than your twisted brand of peace. At best, a new generation would forget your pain, and a new cycle would begin."

"Jiraiya, something you do not understand about gods is that we do not fade. I will not wither, and I will remind every generation of violent fools that I have to, because eventually there will be only an understanding of my peace. All violence will be pointless as long as I am there to quell the uprisings."

Jiraiya felt a single tear slide down his cheek as he heard how far his little angels had fallen. Ma and Pa finished the genjutsu, their song blending well enough into the surroundings that Nagato noticed neither its start or finish.

Jiraiya saw Nagato tense and freeze, obviously trapped in the genjutsu, held within a barrier by four Samuirai toads unti Jiraiya killed him. Killed him. Kill Nagato, Yahiko's image.

He did it quickly, running a stone blade offered to him by Pa deep into Nagato's heart. Into Yahiko's chest. No, into _Pein_. That was the only real way to live with the deed.

Jiraiya started back towards the kunai, he still needed a quick escape, and since Ma and Pa were basically out of commission Naruto would have to be his best bet. The crowd in front of him quickly cleared away.

They likely hadn't heard the conversation or the song, so they had basically seen Jiraiya run a blade through their _god _before their very eyes. It was smart of them to back off.

"I knew I could count on you not to disappoint, Gama-Sennin," sasori's now smooth voice cut through the uneasy silence. "I know better than to engage you like this. I myself was no match for that man."

Jiraiya said nothing, his mind and eyes firmly set on the Hirashin Kunai and escaping home to lose himself in drink. Preferably with Tsunade. Yeah, that'd keep his mind from everything, maybe he'd convince her to concuss him, after a pleasurable grope or two…

There was a spray of blood from first Jiraiya's stomach, and then his mouth.

Looking down, Jiraiya saw one of those black rods protruding from his abdomen. Impossible!

His legs were paralyzed for some reason, and there was a painful numbess to the area the rod was impaling him. Wrenching his head back around, Jiraiya saw another person with the Rinnegan standing next to Yahiko's _still-moving _body. The second man was holding the stone knife, and Yahiko's body looked completely fresh. How? Jiraiya didn't even sense the second man until the last few moments!

"Sensei, learn the meaning of pain."

Two more black rods flew forth, and Jiraiya was in no state to dodge either of them. Knowing what was coming, Jiraiya forced Ma and Pa home, determined to meet his fate head on and alone. His entire life had prepared him to do so.

Each lung was pierced.

Jiraiya was on his knees, panting and refusing to die. His eyes moved back to the Hirashin kunai, his only real hope left. A smirking, foolish woman stepped forward and picked it up, dashing his hopes against the rocks.

"You've done well in securing the kunai, child," Pein said, firing off another rod into Jiraiya's back. He hit nothing that would kill him too quickly, though, and he hoped that everyone present was also learning from the pain.

The impact forced a bloody cough from the old man, and he was looking more and more like he was his age. He was weary, and definitely dying. Blood and saliva dripped from his lips as he kneeled, half hunched over his rapidly reddening knees.

"Get rid of the kunai, I do not want to see it again."

"Yes, sir!"

Jiraiya had to give a single, bloodied smile.

The woman spun on her heel and hurled the weapon away with all her strength.

"NO — god DAMN IT!"

* * *

Naruto flashed into what he assumed would be Iwa, rolling his shoulders in a show to make it look like the massive jump didn't just take a bit out of him. Maybe more than a bit.

"This better be good, old man! I left Kurama back with the Sand Siblings to clean things up while I came to see what was…"

Naruto looked all around him. His sensei was nowhere in sight. His kunai was in the middle of a cleared circle, Iwa shinobi surrounding him on all sides. Most of them looked more than a little nervous, and some of them scared out of their minds. A few of them looked murderous. All understandable, really. They DID just witness the use of their most feared jutsu.

"Wow, I didn't know you brought me such a crowd, sensei. Guess I'll have to clean up more of a mess than I thought."

Naruto haf expected to hear Kurama pipe in with a stupid and ill-timed pun.

"Naruto! How nice of you to join us, un!" the blond juinchuriki looked towards the voice only to match eyes with a blond demolitionist. "Party has been pretty boring with the boss taking out the old toad."

Just like that, Naruto's 'good mood façade' was gone. His shoulders straightened, and his eyes adopted the hard look of someone more suited to genocide than rescue missions. "What did you just say?"

The older blond man paused for only half a second before smiling wildly and shoving his hands into pouches at his sides. "Oh-ho! You've got some bite!"

"Deidara, he will kill you if you don't shut up," a doll looking man said, making his way over to his partner's side.

"Oh, no, I'm going to kill at least you two anyway," Naruto managed to avoid snarling. "The lives of everyone else here literally depends on how you answer my questions. Where is Jiraiya?"

Sasori looked like he was about to give a real answer, but Deidara cut him off. "Let's see what kind of art you like better instead, un? Iwa! Kill the son of Minato!"

The war cry that sounded was loud, intense, but ultimately quite short. Naruto threw the kunai that brought him there forward and poofed into three clones of himself. The kunai was blown off course by an explosion, but the feeling of Power let anyone informed know what was coming.

One clone slashed a wide gap into Deidara's throat. Another sunk a fist deep into his abdomen. The third clone's hand appeared around his ankles to drag his corpse under for a quick burial and to keep the battlefield clean.

At least, that was the plan. The kunai the first clone used did slice into Deidara's neck, but it got stuck halfway through. The deidara was a clone made of clay, detonating clay if Naruto was to guess off the intel. The fist trapped in the clone's stomach and hands inside the ankles seemed to agree that this wasn't the real Deidara.

The Naruto with his fist trapped knew the clone would explode. Knowing this, Naruto expanded his entrapped fist via Rasengan, the result sending pieces of the clone flying as deadly shrapnel before it could explode. Sasori had jumped away at the beginning of the proceedings, but a pice of Deidara's clone lodged into his knee joint.

That's about the time Deidara decided to blow up.

The war cry emanating from the surrounding shinobi quickly turned to pained screams, and Sasori cursed aloud as well. Deidara came out of hiding beneath the ground to admire his masterpiece, oblivious to the body parts of his comrades around him.

"Hmm, they were all clones, un?"

Sasori's leg re-attached itself, but he couldn't geta a warning off in time. "Deidara, the Kunai!"

It was definitely too late. Even without Sage mode or Kurama's cloak, Naruto was one of the fasted shinobi alive. The palm of his right hand smashed Deidara's nose back into his skull, his fingers gripping around tightly before the blood could loosen his grip. Real blood. No clay.

Naruto held on tightly, digging his fingertips into the screaming man's temples and jaw. A swift kick to the inside of Deidara's leg broke his knee, and Naruto had the bloody, screaming man kneeling before him.

"You should have answered my fucking question."

Sasori wasn't about to interfere, his desire for longevity telling him it was a bad idea. And these pathetic villagers followed this child as Tsuchikage…

The screaming from Deidara abruptly. Blood poured from his ears and mouth instead of just his nose for a moment, and then his head seemed to explode within Naruto's grasp. Ironic. The remaining blond was holding onto a Rasengan in place of Deidara's head, and the corpse slumped to the side as the. The crowd went silent.

Their Kage killed, nearly effortlessly. All they had now was their god, the god that they followed only because their leader did…

"Sasori of the Red Sands. I do not know if you feel pain or not anymore, but I guarantee that you want to tell me where Jiraiya is."

"You have grown impressive, Naruto. I will tell you the whereabouts of your sensei, but I would like you to tell me if you really think you can take on almost a quarter of a village alongside _me_. You will find that I am exceptionally hard to kill, if even time itself can no longer manage the feat," Sasori said musically, his younger-sounding voice lilting in the silence of the crowd.

The crowd did seem to bolster at the words, confidence growing at the prospect of finally killing the legacy of the Hirashin. Naruto paid them almost no mind. "I wanted to show you how hopless fighting me was. Deidara, one of the Akatsuki themselves, crumbled in my hand like he was less than the clay he used. It cost me almost no effort. I know you're older than Jiraiya, Sasori. I also know you are smarter than most people today. Tell me, do you know what Sage Mode is?"

Sasori stilled, and as much as a puppet could, felt afraid. Jiraiya's most powerful technique, the _First Hokage's Biju suppressing technique_. If someone like this jinchuriki had learned it…

"I'll say it plainly for everyone here to understand," Naruto started a slow spin, his eyes still cruel. "No one here presents a threat to me. None of you can kill me. And if you don't tell me what I want to know, I have no problems killing every one of you. I don't even need the Kyuubi's strength to do so anymore."

Hopefully, Kurama was finishing up in Taki because would drag his sorry ass here anyway.

His little speech had the effect he had hoped for, and every person there backed up a step with a shiver. Sasuke was right, intimidation could save you a _ton _of effort.

"Well said, Naruto. We truly are a cut above the rest, are we not?" a cold voice assaulted the bblond's ears. Naruto turned his face left and slightly upwards, and wasn't surprised that there was a floating ma coming towards him. Onoki could fly too, not too odd here.

"And you think you can make a difference here, Red?" Naruto almost taunted.

"Everything you told my friend Sasori and the shinobi of Iwa…" the man started. That's when he was close enough for Naruto to notice. The Rinnegan. Pein. He had to watch out for that seal… "Is exactly how I would describe your resistance against me."

"Where is Jiraiya, Pein?"

"I'm pleased that you remember my name."

"Where is he?"

"It hardly matters now," Pein said, extending an arm in some half-random direction. The sea of shinobi parted, and Naruto saw a kneeling figure in the dirt, white stained by red. It could have been a trick though…

"Naruto," the floating man said flatly. "I will let you run loose today because we are not yet ready for your contribution to peace. Just know that when the rest of the Biju are mine, your time will come."

_Oh, bull fucking SHIT. You aren't leaving here, ass wipe. I just don't know how many bodies you have here._

At that moment, the kneeling figure struggled to look in his direction. All too familiar blood-stained white hair parted and fell around an aged, weary face. Eyes holding onto both pain and regrets enough to break a thousand men locked gazes with Naruto. This couldn't be faked. The unsaid words between the two… Naruto knew. That really was his sensei.

His gaze snapped back to Pein, and his breathing became heavy. His lightly emanating Presence shifted from Power to Rage, and he found himself losing control over the output.

"Now, since you are the problem of these fool ninja that summoned you here, I will take my leave until it is time to capture —" Pein was cut off by the need to dodge.

Naruto had sped towards the man, breaking a seal on his arm to enter Sage mode in the process. Pein tilted his head back to avoid the lightning fast punch, but he was surprised to feel the blow land anyway.

Tears streaming down his face in anger and hatred, Naruto let loose a flurry of attacks on the Leader of the Akatsuki. He really shouldn't be in this close, the threat of the seal tag looming as it was. But the blond wasn't thinking even halfway clearly, the heart-wrenching image of his dying sensei burned into his mind.

A clone appeared to assist the assault on Pein, and the resulting fight left no room for any lesser shinobi to try and interfere. Every missed swing sent up waves of rock and dirt, a missed Rasengan sent dust flying into the air with enough force to reach twenty feet into the air. The only reason the battlefield was even halfway visible was the fact that Naruto was using an occasional Great Breakthrough.

Pein didn't take any of this sitting down. There was no real opening to incapacitate the jinchuriki, but he did get hit with a Shinra Tensei every few seconds or so. Pein just didn't have enough time between blasts to charge up a larger strike, the speed of his opponent bringing him back in close within seconds.

Luckily for the Leader of Akatsuki, there seemed to be an invisible force on his side. Not the gravity techniques he used, no. Every so often a clone would get destroyed by some unseen blow, but only Pein knew that it was the Animal path within the invisible Chameleon summon.

"If he dies, not even the Shinigami himself will save you from me!" Naruto screamed just before he fired off a massive Pressure Damage, scattering the already sparse crowd of Iwa nin.

"You are lucky we have no way to keep you locked up, _child. _It is the only thing saving you from the wrath of a GOD! Shinra Tensei!" This time, as Naruto went flying away, Pein threw a pair of black rods.

One pierced Naruto's leg, and the other went through his right shoulder. Pein was satisfied for only a second, however, because a clone that was hidden below ground appeared and hurled a Hirashin Kunai at him. In the distraction, the original Naruto pulled out both rods, the wounds not so much healing but refusing to actually bleed. They would heal when he dropped sage mode.

Pein knew what was coming. The clone disappeared, and the original would flash in.

Naruto held a Rasengan in each hand, fully intending to smash them together and create a mind-boggling explosion. It wasn't something he had tried before, but there's no way that WOULDN'T explode, right?

"You're predictable," Pein monotoned. "Your anger has clouded your already pointless skill in resisting me."

Flash.

_Smack!_

Naruto froze mid-attack, one of those horrifying seals stuck to his cheek. The twin Rasengan faded from existence and Pein turned his back.

"This is the discord that pain brings us. This is the beginning of growth. The child behind me is much more capable when he is not blinded by pain, and if he were one of you who will have the chance to live on in my new world, he would grow from this experience. I forgive the poor soul who made the mistake of summoning him here, and now I leave it to you all to deal with the consequences of that action. Do not kill the jinchuriki, and bear in mind that he is feeling the pain that I know myself."

The gathered crowd shivered, and a few gave a weak cheer. This man, no, this God, was absolutely terrifying. He laid the Namikaze brat low when the entirety of the village would have struggled to do so.

"You… you're right," Naruto spoke, drool and blood dripping from his bared teeth. "My anger made me predictable," the blond struggled to stand whilst putting a hand to his forearm. "I'll have to do better."

Pain saw the seals a second too late, chakra storage on his arm. Would it be enough to break the seal on his face?

All three of Naruto's Nature Chakra seals glowed for a brief second before bursting open. Two times the amount that would be safe to have in his body. The seal used on him stood no chance against the flood of energy, and the now useless slip of paper fell from his cheek.

Naruto could feel the weight of the excess chakra. He feared that he had overdone things and had a nice, long eternity of stone to look forward to. Thinking as fast as his rage-addled mind allowed him to, he poured energy into Kurama's seal on his back.

Every present shinobi leaped back in fear. At the same time that Naruto's face took on the markings of the technique Sasori feared came back, there was a massive explosion of white. It was no boss toad, though. Roaring and standing over the boy protectively was the _Kyuubi itself._

"Interesting," Pein said, the only person not to flinch away from the scene, "I had no idea that you had such control over the beast."

There was still an extra seal's worth of dangerous chakra in Naruto's system, but now he had Kurama here to help him. Kurama took notice of the state the blond was in and immediately dove into him, returning to his subconscious.

"I pray to Kami that this works," Naruto growled, everything up to his shins already stone.

"Don't expect me to help you," Pein muttered. Was that… humor?

Naruto drew on Kurama's strength, hoping that the volatile chakra of the biju would balance out. It was a long shot, a last-ditch hope, but it was all he really had.

In a blink, Naruto was wreathed in the familiar gold of Kurama's perfect cloak. The pain of the extra chakra was gone, and he felt… powerful. Even by any standard he had known before.

**"Well, good to know that worked. Are we killing this guy now?" **

Naruto looked at himself and took in the changes this new mode seemed to give him. He had a robe or cloak made of chakra now, black on the inside while remaining a blinding gold on the outside. Black lines grew from the inky darkness around Kurama's original seal. And Naruto could feel the marks of Sage Mode around his eyes. He had combined the two chakras, and now he felt invincible.

"Let's."

It happened quickly. The Iwa shinobi watching could only tremble in terror as Naruto seemed to teleport, but there was no Hirashin involved. The speed he moved even threw Pein for a loop, and the lone man was defenseless against the furious assault.

"Am I blinded now?" Naruto asked as he drilled a glowing fist into Pein's stomach, the blood that spewed from the offending man's mouth satisfying him to no end.

"Do I still need to grow?" his voice was calm as his fingers sliced into Pein's leg, just underneath his calf and grabbed onto the pair of bones with crushing force. Pein was thrashed into the ground by his leg, his head a bruised mockery of the regal grace it once held.

"Will you beg for the mercy Jiraiya was denied?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Short update, the next one should follow shortly. I don't own. **

* * *

Disgusted, Naruto snapped Pein's neck over his knee like a twig. There was a general murmur throughout the Iwa crowd, and fear clutched their hearts. The furious blond shifted both his stance and his gaze to where his sensei was bleeding in the dirt, and a wide path opened up in the crowd for him.

**"Smart of them. Go, check on the old one," **Kurama's voice was low and deceptively calm. Naruto could feel the rage boiling off of him through their link.

No one spoke aloud as Naruto appeared near Jiraiya's side, and when he took in the damage the cloak of chakra around him faltered and then fell.

"Sensei…" his voice choked with emotion as he wrapped his arms underneath the obviously dying man.

"Hey there, kiddo," a wet, bloody cough interrupted the white-haired man, "you're lucky I loosened him up for you, brat."

Naruto couldn't help but to laugh as his hands wiped at unbidden tears. "We've gotta get you to Tsunade, you old fart."

A weak fist bumped into Naruto's wet nose, and the dirt on Jiraiya's knuckles mixed with his son's tears. Godson's tears. "Respect your elders, brat. I'm not going anywhere like this, I won't survive a Hirashin and I won't let you…" another bloodied cough, "bring the Hokage here."

"No!" Naruto stood and ran his forearm across his face. "I'll think of something!"

Hands and fingers twisting through his hair, Naruto did his best to brainstorm under the pressure. He had minutes, at the most.

"You will finally know what you and your father put us through, Namikaze," one man hissed under his breath, but it wasn't nearly quiet enough.

Naruto's muscles surged with his anger, and the crowd shrank back whilst shooting glares the speaker.

**"Restrain yourself, kit! Focus on the issue here."**

_"You're right. What do I do? I need… something here, Kurama!"_

There was silence between the two as they thought, and Naruto went back to support Jiraiya's frame.

**"Put him in a toad."**

The command came tersely, enough to get the idea across and let Naruto fill in the blanks.

And he filled in those blanks quickly, still thinking while he flew through the summoning signs faster than he ever had before.

A mid-sized toad appeared in a poof of smoke, and Naruto quickly relayed his plan to it.

"Heh, clever… brat," Jiraiya smiled to himself even as blood briefly poured from between his lips. His chakra was doing its best to stabilize his lungs and keep the blood where it was supposed to be, but even he could only hold off for so long. He'd have been dead by now if Tsunade hadn't forced him to learn the trick years ago.

A Naruto clone gently picked him up, but the movements still disturbed the rods in his chest. The pain blurred Jiraiya's vision, and in the lapse of concentration his lungs filled further. Every breath was pain, and every sound his chest made was less and less reassuring.

"Alright, sensei," the original Naruto said as he escorted the toad over to the clone, "You and the Clone should fit inside of our friend here, and then he'll wait for my summon. I'll only be a minute, okay?"

Jiraiya could only nod wearily as his vision threatened to go dark on him. Next thing he knew he _was _in darkness, but it was the familiar darkness of the inside of a toad summon. Kami damnit, he raised a smart boy! He shouldn't feel anything from in here, and now all he had to do was stay awake…

* * *

Tsunade sat at her desk, head resting on open palms as she stressed over both the paperwork in front of her and the whereabouts of a certain pair of idiots. Jiraiya had been doing this kind of stupid shit his whole life, but Naruto had never fought in a war before. If he was anything like Kushina though… maybe she was worried about the wrong brat.

Suddenly she could hear shouts from down below, both from her secretary and… the ANBU? Before she could wrap her head around that, her door blew inward off the hinges. She flicked it away, and it smashed into the wall hard enough to shatter the window next to it. A direct assault on the Hokage, eh? The enemy must be getting ballsy… Naruto?

"Tsunade! Sorry about the door but I can't flash in here I need you to go to the hospital come on we don't have time!"

Tsunade was shocked, she had never seen the brat lose his cool like this, not even during the whole Hinata debacle. "All right, calm down and let's—"

She couldn't say anything else because Naruto grabbed her arm and then her world warped. She fought down the urge to leave her lunch on the floor of the hospital and was about to start yelling at the irresponsible blond.

"Uh, operating room? Or ER? Uh… surgery! Yeah!" he was mumbling and looking around at various signs erratically. Tsunade would be more upset with him if she wasn't so worried.

"Naruto—" and then he was _dragging _her along behind him, making a beeline for the operation rooms in the surgery wing. SOMETHING was horribly wrong, but she had no idea what it was.

Tsunade got her feet back under her and was about to demand an explanation when a doctor backed by an ANBU operative strode down the hallway to intercept them. They _did _technically need clearance, Tsunade was adamant about that when she took the place over.

When the pair got close enough, the doctor spoke as the ANBU reached a hand out tentatively. Who in their right mind would apprehend their Hokage right?

**"MOVE!" **Naruto _snarled _at the pair, his teeth snapping at the hand of the ANBU as they shoved themselves into the far wall, as far away from him as possible.

Tsunade was, once again, shocked. She caught a glimpse of half of the teen's face as his gaze drilled the doctor and ANBU to the wall. The pain, panic, and fury she could see in his one eye made her double-take. _He _was the reason the ANBU didn't want to intercept.

"Okay, Naruto, I've played along this far, what the HELL is wrong?" Tsunade demanded.

There was no immediate, verbal response, but they finally came to an empty operating room. Naruto rushed them inside.

"Jiraiya is dying. I need, I need you to save him," despite not truly exerting himself, Tsunade could hear his voice plagued by heaving breaths. A coming panic attack?

Then there was a toad in the room, and what he said finally hit Tsunade full force. _Naruto _wasn't the one who needed her help. It was… it…

"I got him out of Iwa," Naruto said, shaking as he coaxed the toad's mouth open wide enough for a clone to step out.

Tsunade felt her stomach drop and her mouth go dry. In any other scenario, seeing Naruto (who was not small by any means) carrying someone who relatively dwarfed both him and most grown men like a child would be humorous.

Not when that large man was Jiraiya.

Not when he had black rods _in both of his lungs_.

Her own voice now plagued with its own tremble, "Lay him on the bed. Get me Shizune and her team. NOW!" the last bit was aimed at the ANBU team she knew was following her.

Tsunade gently moved Naruto to the opposite side of the bed, her hands struggling to stay steady as the blood pooled on the sheets. Did he remember how to sustain himself with his chakra? Kami, she should have pressed that harder when they were younger!

"Can't say I'm used to being the one to get penetrated," Jiraiya's voice was low, weak, and riddled with the telltale gurgling of filling lungs.

"Stop talking, you stupid pervert," Tsunade covered her sob with a small chuckle, and wiped her face dry.

"I, I'm sorry. I should have gotten you here sooner," Tsunade's eyes snapped to Naruto's face, the grief and pain visible to all who looked. There was a tint of guilt there as well, but it was hidden the moment it tried to show itself.

"You did…" Jiraiya started slowly, using what little strength he had, "I'm so proud."

A single sob escaped Naruto's mouth as he hung his head, and Tsunade finally managed to get her gloves on. "I said stop talking!" a bit of her usual steel was back now, "Save your strength, dumbass."

The white head of hair plopped back onto the pillow in what appeared to be relief, "And _now _this feels like home."

Tsunade started the preliminary checks, and she didn't even feel the not-so-familiar-anymore fear of blood underneath the worry. He wasn't in good shape at all. At some point, Shizune and two others bustled in, and someone ushered Naruto out into the hallway.

Time to get to work. Deep breaths.

* * *

Naruto sat in the lobby of the hospital for three hours before anyone approached him. Unfortunately, it was a genin running errands for the Hokage.

"Um, are you Naruto?" the little girl asked shyly.

Snapping out of his reverie enough to try and avoid worrying the kid, Naruto responded with, "Yeah, that's me. Whatcha need, kid?"

"The, uh, Hokage's administrative building got reports in from the war fronts. They said your teammates are free to take leave and ready for ex… extraction? Yeah. If, you know, you wanted to see them."

Naruto gave the girl a nod in thanks, and after she had left the room he sat in thought for only a second or two before Kurama voiced his thoughts. **"Your team would probably do nothing but help you, kit."**

_"I know. But do I want to drag them into this?"_

**"That's a poor excuse. We both know how upset they'll be if they learn you didn't ask them to be here."**

That was really all that needed to be said. Naruto nodded to himself and sent two clones to retrieve his team. Hopefully, Kakashi was with Sakura.

**"I hate to say it, but I MAY be starting to like them. If only a little bit because you like them."**

That drew out the first half smile from the blond since he got to Iwa. _"Is that your roundabout way of saying you like me?"_

**"Hmph," **the low grunt came in response. **"I'll leave you to your team." **Naruto smiled, hung his head, and cut the connection. Kurama's support, in his own way, was a relief.

Sakura was the first to flash in with her clone, Kakashi nowhere in sight. "Naruto? What's the rush to get back?" She took in his hung head moments before surveying the room they were in. "Why… are we in the hospital?"

The blond she was questioning took a deep breath, unsurprised that she'd recognize the building she spends so much time in. "Jiraiya."

Sakura moved before thinking about the ramifications of what he said. She was standing in front of his chair in a heartbeat, his head pressed against her sternum and wrapped protectively in her arms.

No more words were said between the two, and they stayed like that for only a few seconds before another flash brought Sasuke in. He wasn't in the immaculate condition that Sakura arrived in, more than a few cuts, bruises, and rips in his clothing visible.

Sasuke dropped his eyes to his best friend's head cradled in his girlfriend's arms, and he could see the pain even without his kekkei genkai. His eyes rose to Sakura's as he walked forwards, questioning her without so much as a raised brow.

'Jiraiya' she mouthed at the Uchiha, her arms only tightening around Naruto's head.

With a nod, Sasuke sat down in the chair to Naruto's left, dropped a heavy hand on Naruto's right shoulder, and gave one slow squeeze. "We're here," was all he said in support.

Sakura felt Naruto's breath hitch once, then twice, before the front of her shirt started to soak through. She bit her lip and let her eyes dart between Sasuke's somber face and Naruto's gently shaking head, regretting not being able to get their sensei to come back with her.

It was an unspoken agreement between the couple that they would stay with their hurting teammate for as long as needed, and they settled in for the long haul.

* * *

Very little was said between the three, most of the support coming silently. What little Naruto managed to say was explaining what had happened and how long he had been there.

Around the five hour mark of the surgery, two hours after Team Seven was reunited, Karin and Haku came into the hospital lobby. They carried food with them, and they made a beeline for the trio as soon as they saw the team.

"Naruto," Karin called softly as she approached. "ANBU dropped by and explained some of what was happening. I guess the Hokage figured you three would forget to eat?"

Haku raised three bento boxes from behind the redhead, who carried her own bento and to-go ramen from Ichiraku's.

"I…" the blond teen's voice was raspy and broken, but one look at his team told them that they were indeed hungry. It was concealed, but in the same way that they tried to conceal it when they were on a mission. "Thank you, Karin. Haku. Will you eat with us?"

The next few minutes found Team Seven sitting side by side in the halfway-comfortable chairs of the lobby, Naruto sandwiched lovingly in the middle and the two members of his clan in front of him. Haku had pulled a chair up for herself to sit in, but Karin opted to lean back against Naruto's legs. The five ate in relative silence, all their eyes occasionally drifting to the hallway they were waiting for Tsunade to come striding out from.

* * *

Five more hours passed. His godfather had been in surgery for ten hours now, almost to the minute. Naruto was keeping a close watch on the time. His head was resting against the wall behind him, everyone around him asleep in one position or another for a couple of hours now.

Sakura was clutching his right arm, her head resting on his shoulder as she quietly snored. Naruto didn't have to be a sensor to tell that she was absolutely exhausted from her mission. Sasuke was to his right, black hair pressed similarly against the wall as he too dozed on and off. Sasuke's knee was in contact with Naruto's, the gesture of support monumental coming from the Uchiha.

Karin was still sitting cross-legged on the floor, her head resting back on Naruto's lap. He found that his free left hand running through her red locks, and the perpetual motion was calming for him. Haku was in a chair to his front and right, sitting up properly with hands folded in her lap. Her chin was finally resting on her chest, after doing her best to stay awake with Naruto.

That's how Tsunade found them as she shuffled down the hallway. Naruto was up in an instant, meeting her before she even fully entered the lobby, his companions still waking up from his sudden absence.

"Well?" he asked almost impatiently.

She didn't make eye contact with him. "His wounds… those black rods that were in his chest, I mean. They were… they made his body very resistant to chakra. I was able to mostly stop the bleeding and empty his lungs of blood. I just can't seem to… I can't close his wounds," she said with astounding finality. Her voice did waver, but not as much as Naruto would have expected.

His breathing picked up slightly before he got himself under control. "What," his voice broke and he had to restart, "What does this mean… long term?"

This time her eyes locked onto his. Her tears were evident, both those already spilled and those yet to be shed. "I've already said my goodbyes to him, Naruto. He… he asked to see you alone before he goes. He'll only last as long as he can support himself with his own chakra."

Naruto stumbled backward almost as if struck, into the waiting arms and chest of his dark-haired teammate. He didn't hear any of them come up behind him, but there they all were.

Naruto nodded blankly, his eyes overcast as he brushed arms with his Hokage. He said only one thing when they brushed arms, "Thank you for trying, Tsunade."

Naruto slipped into the room almost gently, as if he was afraid to disturb the air itself. His eyes immediately fell to Jiraiya, age apparent on his wrinkled face. Their eyes met, but nothing was said as Naruto went and sat at the end of the bed. The silence stretched, but Jiraiya broke it before Naruto could speak up.

"Naruto…" his voice was weak, but his breath didn't sound plagued by the wetness of blood anymore, "I am… so proud of the man you've grown into."

Any words Naruto was preparing caught in his throat, and new tears sprang into his eyes.

"I'm sorry you never got to know your real parents," a deep, shuddering breath filled with both physical and emotional pain, "but I am so glad I got to call you my son. If… if only for a little while."

Naruto let a single sob ring throughout the room, and he dropped his head to the bedside. He felt Jiraiya lay a single hand on his head, and he choked out a single word.

"Dad.."

"I don't blame anyone for this, so please… please don't lose yourself?" the dying man asked. He pushed through the pain of not comforting his son and made sure he'd be okay after he was gone.

"I won't, I won't. I promise. I swear," Naruto hadn't lifted his head yet, nor had Jiraiya lifted his weak hand.

"Good. There's so much, so much more for you to live for. You've got all these beautiful girls around you…"

Naruto didn't have to look up to hear the grin that came onto the old man's face. "Shut up, pervert," a wet sob was the only accompaniment to the old, familiar joke.

Jiraiya would have laughed if he was able. "But really. One of my biggest regrets was never marrying that terrifying woman we're calling Hokage now."

The shock wasn't too much for the blond, but it was still present.

"Granted she only recently stopped assaulting me for looking at her."

Naruto let loose a more genuine laugh, wiping his eyes on the sheets before looking up with a grin.

"I should have asked her well before this. Find what you love, Naruto. Who you love. And grab on tight. Marry those girls of yours, before anything happens. Okay?"

Naruto nodded, agreeing with the sentiment.

"I'm sorry I won't be there to see you get… married."

"It's okay," Naruto finally found his voice. "I don't think the bridesmaids would be safe with you there anyway."

That drew a pained chuckle from the man, "Promise me you'll protect what you love, and whatever they love too, if you can."

"I promise."

"Good boy. Now, I have a few minutes left. Would you mind bringing Ma and Pa here?"

Naruto obliged immediately, bringing the toads in question to the room with a white puff of smoke. He also brought Kurama's link back to ask the fox a few questions.

**"How are you holding up, kit?" **the fox asked before Naruto could speak.

The old toads were sitting right by Jiraiya's head as they spoke in low tones. Naruto didn't bother trying to listen in. _"I'll be alright. He seems at peace, in his own way."_

**"I will not lie. I'm going to miss the old one."**

Naruto accepted that odd form of condolences, knowing it was a lot coming from Kurama. He then asked, _"Why could your chakra heal my wounds from those rods but Tsunade's can't heal his?" _

**"Hm. I can't be sure. I would hazard a guess that it has something to do with the rods being made of something strange. Something affected by Nature chakra itself, maybe even pure Ying and Yang chakra. I do not know."**

_"Do you think if he went into sage mode his body could… I don't know, filter the chakra out of his system or something?"_

**"Kit… he would need a biju's chakra to heal the wounds regardless. I'm sorry."**

_"It's okay. Thank you anyway, Kurama."_

"Naruto?" Jiraiya called weakly.

"Yes?" the toad sages were sitting adjacent to each shoulder, their respective places when the three fought together.

"Will you bring Tsunade back in? I'm… I'm almost out of chakra. She would be the last of my precious people, and I'd like you all to be here for the end."

Naruto didn't trust himself to speak, or breath, so he simply nodded and spun on his heel. He was torn. _"I could transfer him chakra! Just to buy Tsunade more time to find a way. Or… or I could come up with a seal to let your chakra heal him! We just need more time…"_

Tsunade sat on a bench not too far away. Her eyes met his and were immediately filled with grim understanding. **"Kit. Let him rest in what peace he can gather around him. Mourne him, and remember him, but first you have to let him go in his own peace."**

With a resolute nod, Naruto led Tsunade back into the room, heart heavy and mind set.

* * *

Jiraiya of the Sannin. Time of death; 3:21 am.


	14. Chapter 14

**Happy one-year anniversary guys! So much love... So here's the first double update in a while! I've also gone back over the first story in this series and prettied it up, nothing worth going back and reading, it was just typos and stuff.**

**I love you all, and this is all for you. Here's to my first year with this story I don't own!**

* * *

It was the day after… It was the next day, almost midmorning when Naruto woke up in his own bed. He didn't really remember getting there, but he couldn't argue with where he was. The large bed in the main building of the Uzumaki Compound was comfortable, but it felt empty without…

Naruto realized that the bed was warmer than it should have been and snapped his eyes to his left. When did Hinata get here? Not that he'd ever complain, but he was a bit confused.

**"She got back with her team a few days ago. She's been staying here waiting for you, but I don't blame you for forgetting."**

_"Why? What happened last night? Why don't I remember anything after… afterward?"_

**"Tsunade dragged you here and had some ANBU haul in a few bars' worth of sake to your living room. You drank at least half of it on your own, which is probably the only way you overcame your healing factor. Your team, Karin, Haku, and Hinata drank with you. They're all here as well, either in guest rooms or already at breakfast."**

After the recounting of events, Naruto simply laid there with Hinata in his arms. Drunken memories flashed briefly, his reunion with Hinata, but everything always flashed back to Jiraiya, laying still and peaceful on his hospital bed.

Hinata shifted in her sleep, pressing herself up closer to her boyfriend's side. Naruto's heart throbbed with a lone beat of happiness, and he could vividly remember some parting words from the night before.

_'Find what you love, Naruto. Who you love. And grab on tight. Marry those girls of yours, before anything happens. Okay?'_

He loved her. He was _in _love with her. So much so that it almost hurt to think about, but at the same time took away the hurt of everything else. The war flitted across his mind for a second, and then earlier missions where his life was on the line. And then instances where it was HER life on the line. He couldn't lose her. Not her too, not again.

Naruto rolled onto his side, partially waking up the love of his life in the process. He planted a single, gentle kiss to her still sleepy lips and woke her up the rest of the way.

Her pale eyes looked up at him with a hint of sorrow in them. "Morning, Naruto," she said softly.

He didn't even bother with full words at first, simply giving her a 'hmm' in response before kissing her softly once more. She melted into him, missing his embrace after so long apart.

"Thank you, Hinata," he whispered, resting his forehead to hers.

"Whatever for?" she asked, opening her eyes only to find that his were still lidded.

"For being here. For loving me."

They dissolved into silence once more, basking in each other's warmth. It was around eleven in the morning before a knock came to his door, "Naruto, breakfast is ready. I hope you don't mind that I informed the others not to wait on you two," Haku's voice was muffled coming through the door, but the message was received.

"Thanks, Haku. We'll be right down," Naruto called back.

His eyes lingered on Hinata only a moment or three longer than was completely necessary, the blush it caused going well with her sleepwear that consisted of one of his own large shirts.

As the two dressed, and Naruto was thrilled to see she had claimed a wardrobe for herself, they chatted.

"How are you feeling, Naruto? Do you need to ask for some time off of the war? I'm sure…" Hinata's voice trailed off as she slipped on a new pair of undergarments.

"No, he wouldn't have wanted that. I know he is okay with the way he went, if not the timing of it. He asked me to… he asked me to accept this, and to try and be happy."

The two were silent for only a moment before Hinata reinforced the statement with, "I just want you to be happy too." Her voice was soft, almost as if she was unsure it was the right thing to say.

Naruto couldn't handle it, she was just too much. His chest was filled to the brim with love for her, and he strode over to her. She had just removed the shirt, and she stood topless in the morning air. Hinata gave a squeak when she noticed the intense blond making his way to her, his eyes never dropping to her freed breasts but locked onto her own pale gaze.

"Happy," he whispered, linking his arms behind her back, "Hinata…"

Her blush was back full force, and her palms rested on his bare chest. The pure adoration in his eyes was almost drowning her with every breath she took.

"Marry me."

And her world stopped. Her fingers curled on his chest, scratching lightly as she looked up into his eyes. There was no deception in them, only love. She couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, but she could nod.

With his question, a prayer and a dream were answered with one nod of her head. Naruto lost himself to her. He dipped low, locking his lips with hers and lifting her up by her thighs. Her arms found their way around his neck, and he brought her legs up over his waist to lock around his lower back. From there, he had to crane his head back to kiss her, and he could feel a few happy tears fall onto his cheeks.

Stumbling backward until his knees found the bed, Naruto let himself fall until he was sitting with this goddess on his lap. His tongue found hers around the same time his hand found her breast. The small gasp she gave him granting him further entry.

Her hands raked through his hair, nails dragging across his scalp. She felt her bottom lip slip between his teeth just before he let out a deep groan, and she couldn't help but love the effect she had on him.

His hand came up from her waist, slipping between them and sliding up until his palm rested snuggly against a straining nipple. Hinata gave a soft mewl in pleasure, and at that moment, there was no war, no death, no pain. Only her, only ever her.

Neither of them was too sure about the next few seconds, but soon enough Hinata was back on the bed, hair splayed out over her pillow and her boyfriend slowly kissing his way down her neck. There was none of the teasing patience he showed the first time they came together like this. Naruto only had a burning, endless desire.

Once his teeth found their way down to her chest, the light suction combined with the soft raking of his canines was enough to make her tug his hair less than gently. She could already feel the heat building, and by the feel of the long, pulsing hardness rubbing down her side she wasn't the only one.

There was a blur of sound, emotion, and Naruto's fingers were soaked. Not one to take it for nothing returned, Hinata snaked her hand down Naruto's navel and into the waistband of his shorts. Her dexterous fingers wrapped around an object she wasn't familiar enough for her liking with. That was the only thing that made the blond hiccup in his smooth trail of butterfly kisses, but after the hitch in his breath, he continued downwards.

It was a bit awkward, trying to bury his face at the apex of her long, milky legs while she kept a grasp on his erection. Considering it was their first time doing anything of this… magnitude it was to be expected, but like any eager couple they made the best of it.

Naruto lay on his side, left arm extended out underneath her hips, and his right over the top and gently massaging her rear. His mouth was in constant motion, doing his best to remember and rile her up before doing anything extreme. A kiss on the inside of her thigh, just above the knee. Dragging first his lips, then his teeth, and finally his tongue up higher and higher until he could taste the damp, lacy fabric hiding his final goal.

Hinata was on her right side, right thigh thrown over the blond mess of hair at her crotch. Every little gift he gave made her want _more_, and it was all she could do to not clamp her thighs together in pleasure. But that would stop his ministrations, something neither of them wanted. Hinata knew she had an opportunity 'rising' in front of her face, and she took it eagerly. In truth, her boyfriend had hardened a while ago, near the start of this all. That in mind, her hand, already within his boxers, pulled out her prize, slowly dragging the head against the fabric.

Naruto groaned in borderline pain, his hips bucking once as his breath picked up. He felt a squeeze, then another, and finally a long, slow lick up his throbbing shaft. Deciding it was time to pick up the pace, or having the decision made for him, he let his tongue slide under the semi-tight lace in front of him. The underside of the appendage ran across swollen lips, saliva mingling with her own moisture as her legs shuddered around him.

Suddenly, there was a wonderful suction around the head of his erection, and his self-control lapsed for a moment. With a bite of his teeth and a yank of his head, the frilly lace was ripped away from their owner, baring her to him in all her beauty.

With a wet 'pop' Hinata freed her mouth long enough to say, "Hey now, those were expen—"

A long drag of Naruto's tongue up her dripping entrance silenced her. Her voice halted when he started, the tip of his tongue playing at her entrance for a second before working its way up in small, tight circles.

This alone was enough to draw short, panting breaths from the excited girl, but she knew what was coming. She knew how well he had her lower half mapped out, how well he could draw her moans unbidden from her mouth. Less than five seconds later, his circling tongue found the way to the top of her sex, playing around the perimeter of the hood that housed her clit. He was driving her insane.

On a sex-crazed whim, she took his cock as far down her throat as she could. Her tongue played at the underside of his shaft, and she hoped it would entice him as much as he was enticing her. It didn't distract him long, but her efforts were rewarded when his tongue lifted back the hood, and his lips found her nub.

Hinata couldn't help the spasm it shook from her, and she felt the rod in her mouth _bend _slightly in her throat and mouth. She was afraid that would hurt her love, but the reaction she got for it was _divine_.

Naruto absolutely growled in pleasure, the hand that was playing with her bare ass now used to crush her sex even further into his mouth. Hinata whimpered in pleasure against him, his dick sliding just that little bit further down her throat before she gagged lightly.

She pulled it out far enough to remain comfortable while keeping it 'warm'. Naruto's hand came up and around from her rear, his middle finger finding her entrance while his tongue and lips played with her nub.

For a solid second, she saw only white, and she moaned around the cock between her lips. This only urged her boyfriend on further, and soon enough he had the entirety of two fingers buried in her.

The coil of pleasure tightened in her core, the stimulation white-hot. His fingers quirked upwards, his tongue pressed hard directly onto her clit, and she tipped over the edge for the first time of the morning.

As she shook and writhed, her hips held prisoner to Naruto's mouth, all her focus went into not biting down.

The next thing she knew, the love of her life was over the top of her, his face in hers, and his eyes full of nothing but love and lust.

"Is," he had to stop and pant, "Is this okay, do you want this?"

He was nestled between her legs, the head of his dick lightly rubbing her in the best of the wrong places when she pulled his head down and kissed him like it was the only thing keeping her alive.

"Please," was all she said when they finally separated their tongues.

* * *

Sasuke sat at the breakfast table, arms resting in front of him with exactly one pink-haired girlfriend draped across them nursing a hangover. His fingers were interlaced, and his thumbs tapped a slow beat that only he could hear.

Sakura, from the ever-comfortable position of laying across her boyfriend's bony forearms, did her best to hide her face. She was never drinking again, this was a horrible idea.

Karin sat directly across from them, her lips tucked in between her lips, face almost as red as her hair. She could possibly still be a tad bit drunk, but no one could really tell. Seeing as the Hokage had to leave early for office work, it was just a house full of teenagers now. Luckily, Haku liked cooking for everyone, but it was still obviously awkward in the dining room at the moment.

Speaking of Haku and her cooking, she was walking in with several fried fish on top of beds of rice, the large platter holding enough for everyone in the room plus two. There was already a pitcher of water surrounded by glasses on the table, so all Haku had to bring in was the food.

"I hope you don't mind that all we had in abundance was fish and—"

_"FUCK!"_

Hinata's plain scream cut through the ceiling with ease, interrupting Haku and making Karin visibly blush further. It accentuated the real reason Sakura was hiding her face, and even Sasuke had to struggle not to grin. Haku, bless her heart, seemed totally unaffected.

"fish and rice."

Sakura spoke up, not lifting her face, "That's fine, thank you for cooking, Haku."

"Yes," Sasuke added, "I'm sorry that I ever wanted to kill you."

The Uchiha was made aware that this was NOT the best thing to say by a certain girl biting his arm.

"You are forgiven," she told him as she started passing plates around. The clatter of the plates hitting the table was almost drowned out by the repetitive banging of Naruto's headboard. Quite distracting, honestly.

The muffled cries above them were all the background noise needed, and the four teens ate in silence otherwise. A few times, Karin or Sakura would try to start a conversation, but a particularly loud bump from above would kill the momentum.

There wasn't as much food to go around as Haku would have liked, but everyone got at least one full fish to themselves. It left one for each of their missing members as well. Roughly twenty minutes after they had started eating, once the four were wrapping up, Naruto and Hinata came down the stairs.

"Uh, hey, guys. Sorry for making you wait," Naruto said sheepishly as he sat down in front of a plate left for him.

"That's what you're sorry for?" Sasuke snarked around the last mouthful of his rice. He almost choked on it, though, when Sakura smacked the back of his head.

"Oh," Hinata blushed as she spoke up, "You could… uh, hear?"

There was no immediate answer, and no one made eye contact with the couple in question. Eventually, though, Karin slid Naruto a scroll from the house's library. 'Privacy Seals' was plastered on the label, and her implication was pretty clear.

Instead of acknowledging the fact that literally everyone heard them, Naruto tried changing the subject to something less… exciting.

"So turns out we're getting married."

He started choking on his fish as the room was engulfed in girlish screams.

* * *

Kakashi knelt behind the low wall, mud smeared over him to reduce as much of his human smell as possible. Behind him crouched… Obito. Of all people. Never in a million years did Kakashi think he'd get the opportunity to go on another mission with him, and the first day was fairly tough. But now it was as if they hadn't missed a beat, Kakashi taking point as they infiltrated an extremely secure facility in Mist.

It might be a bit too familiar, actually. At least this time Obito has a quick way out, and they weren't wasting time arguing.

"I've only got the two guards by the door and one hiding near the window to our right. You see any more?" Obito asked lowly.

"No, those three are all I got. Can you do your intangible thing to get to the woman hiding in the brush?"

"Yeah, should only take me roughly forty seconds to get into position. Don't wanna risk anything."

"I'll take down the two at the door after a hard thirty-eight count. Two seconds of shock on your target enough?"

"Sounds good."

And the plan went off without a hitch. The only sounds made were metal rending flesh, and some fancy footwork on Kakashi's part prevented the bodies from thudding on the dirt. After the three were tucked away in the undergrowth, the two Sharingan users met up far away enough from the door that they could speak freely.

"I'm not used to working with people and having things go this smoothly. This is the third base and no alarms at all," Kakashi said, his visible eye praising his teammate.

"I'm not used to working with other people," Obito joked. Well, said jokingly. "I think it's safe to say I've missed working with you."

Kakashi did his best to brush off the compliment. "We'll rest up before taking this one down. How many more do you think until we find Yagura?"

Obito sat down in the grass, his dark mask coming off to make breathing easier. "I never took you for a betting man! I'm going to say at least two more. The guard shifts are too lax for anyone of importance to be here."

Kakashi nodded in agreement even as he studied his friend's mangled face. Even with one eye missing and half of the flesh pale and twisted, it was unmistakably Obito. Years of grieving… wasted? Or finally paying off? No, that's not how it worked. It was a pleasant surprise.

"Thank you for coming to back me up, Kakashi. I know you wanted to stay with Sakura."

The silver-haired man waved off the thanks. "Time doesn't take away from a team, Obito. Sakura's a big girl, and she's technically a jonin now. She can handle it."

Obito hummed as he stood, ready to move. "They're a good bunch of kids. Almost like looking in a mirror though, eh?"

Kakashi didn't respond to that one. It pretty much answered itself. "Okay, lets clear this place out and move on. We have six more islands to check, and if we can find either Yagura or Orochimaru we'll be in pretty good shape."

The pair stretched, nodded, and took off. There was a space between them that would have been perfect for another teammate, but you can't have everything you want.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata got dragged to the Hokage's office by their friends, Hinata blushing madly and Naruto laughing uproariously. Loud talks of weddings and babies drew curious looks all around, but the group involved was having an overall great time.

"Tsunade-sensei! I have great news!" Sakura yelled as she burst into the room first. She was just as comfortable in here now as Naruto used to be.

The blond medic raised an eyebrow at the crowd her pupil dragged in with her. Naruto and Hinata were hoisted in the air by Sasuke, Karin, and Haku.

"Oh? Would it happen to involve those two you seem to have captured?"

"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs, and his girlf— _fiancé _buried her head into his side in embarrassment.

Tsunade couldn't help but smile. She shook her head as the teens pushed and shoved one another, digging around for the appropriate paperwork.

"I see. You have a month before your next deployment. We can get you hitched in a week and give you three for the honeymoon phase. How many wives, Naruto? And while we're at it, should we tie together your teammates?"

THAT shut the group up fast enough. In fact, they wanted to be as far away from each other as possible, and they dropped the resident jinchuuriki in their haste. He hit the floor with an audible thump.

It was Tsunade's turn to shake the room with laughter. "Kidding! Kami, Sakura, no need to match your face to your hair. Naruto, all I need is the number of wives you plan to take and I can get the paperwork off to Shizune."

There was still a dead silence, and all of the assembled teenagers had eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Suddenly, one could hear a pounding of footsteps coming down the hallway if you listened carefully enough, and the scream that followed wasn't far behind.

"oooOOOHHH MY GODS!" Shizune, speak of the devil, was crying as she hugged first Sakura, then Naruto, then, Sasuke, and finished by enveloping the remaining two girls in a bear hug. "They grow up," a hiccupping sob, "so FAST! And JUST LOOK AT HER BLUSH LADY TSUNADE!"

Shizune was suddenly pulling at an embarrassed Sakura's cheeks, eliciting more laughter from Tsunade.

"Uh, Hey? Shizune?" Naruto called from his back. He hadn't bothered to get up off the floor. "The uh, plan was just for me to get married to Hinata…"

The crying woman stopped in her tracks. She turned to face Naruto head-on, eyes hard but cheeks wet, and looked for even a hint of deception. The rest of the teens giggled. Well, Sakura and Karin did. Sasuke and Haku seemed to hold themselves back.

"Please tell me you're lying. This is wartime, we need as many people married as possible…" the poor secretary's eyes weren't hard at all now, and were filling with water.

"Fuck."

Everyone turned to look at Sasuke. "I was gonna do it tomorrow, but what the hell."

The Uchiha walked in front of Sakura, his face blank, almost calculating. The realization didn't dawn on the pinkette at all, only confusion running through her head.

The black-haired jonin (jonin!) reached into his pocket and pulled out a single, petrified Sakura petal. No one but the girl in question seemed to take any real meaning from it. "Sakura, you've been family to me for years now. It feels like a lifetime. Would you care to become an Uchiha and make it official?"

Nodding a few times, seeming to mull over the proposition, Sakura said, "I mean, sure. Why not."

And then promptly passed out.

This time it was Karin and HINATA screaming in girlish delight, doing their best to hug Sasuke. It wasn't until Naruto pinned the bastard with his own bear hug that the girls got their chance. Shizune was crying again, and Tsunade was breaking out her third celebratory sake.

Once Sakura woke up to all the screaming and realized what had happened, she claimed her husband-to-be with a passionate kiss, eliciting cheers from the room.

"Well, Sasuke? How many wives will YOU take?" Tsunade asked halfway done with a bottle her assistant was trying to get away from her.

Sakura gave him the eye, and he responded cooly with, "It took me forever just to say more than three words to _her_, I think I'll be fine with one girl in my life. Naruto's gonna need about half a dozen, though."

A quick sidestep saved his future children from a Jyuuken strike, and instead only his leg was paralyzed.

After some more laughter, the room calmed down a bit, the two pairs of engaged teenagers holding one another as the remaining two girls read the room.

"Seriously, though, Naruto. You have two clans you're trying to revive here, you are gonna need at least one more wife," Tsunade said, much more somber than she had previously.

Naruto was going to protest, but Hinata cut him off. "I understand the need, Lady Hokage. Naruto, I love you, and I trust you. You can have as many wives as you need so long as you can say the same to me every night."

The jinchuuriki looked at her with a slightly pained look, unsure of how to move forward.

"I volunteer as tribute," Karin said stoically, doing her best to make it sound like a sacrifice. It was given away by her heavy blush and excited shaking.

"Karin? We're already family!" Naruto protested weakly.

"At BEST we're like, sixth cousins. Different bloodlines and all that. I could take care of the Uzumaki side of things, and Hinata could take care of the Namikaze side!"

"You've thought about that before, haven't you?" Hinata asked with a sly grin.

"Oh, she definitely has. She has kept me awake several nights talking about how she would convince Hinata to help her marry Naruto. After yourself, of course," Haku tattled. Karin gave her a look of utter betrayal.

"Looks like you're getting started on that half dozen pretty quickly, Naruto," Sasuke teased.

This time Hinata took him by surprise. She didn't use Jyuuken, just the tried and true kick to the nuts. Sasuke fell over and whimpered once, holding himself in vain.

Sakura sighed, picked up her fiancé, and headed for the door. "I better go fix him up, back at his place," she held up a single glowing hand to Hinata and winked.

Shizune let out an odd strangled sound at that, the thought of her precious baby doing not baby things (or very baby things?) was physically hurting her.

"So. Hinata and Karin. Haku, nothing to add?" Tsunade probed as she scribbled on a slip of parchment.

The girl in question shook her head. "I came here to serve Naruto and his family, not to actively become part of it. If at any time either of his spouses is not present and he needs the warmth of a woman, I would be happy to oblige. I will not impose on their relationship otherwise."

Naruto went tomato red at that, and if it was his hair instead of his face, he'd look like a true Uzukmaki.

"You can always come in later, Haku," Hinata assured. She liked these two girls the most out of any in the village, living with them probably helped with that.

"Alright, in one week we'll have the weddings. I'm sorry Kakashi won't be here, but he should be back with his teammate before your honeymoon's end. You can break the news then."

Tsunade powered through, almost as if she'd done this a hundred times since the war started, and she handed the papers to Shizune. "I suggest you spread the word, invite people, and make your plans. Speak with Shizune by Thursday to finalize the location you would like to be wed. Oh, and if at all possible could you tie it in with Sakura's and Sasuke's? I have nine more weddings to officiate this week."

Ah.

"Y-yeah. Sure. Yup. Lemme just go, contemplate marrying two gorgeous women, total everyday occurrence."

"Hey," Tsunade's eyes softened by an incredible amount, "Jiraiya would be proud, that damn pervert."

That got everyone to laugh as they left, as uneasy as it may have been. Tsunade sat alone, thinking about the new love coming into the world, and the love she had first ignored and then lost. Maybe one more bottle for the workday.

* * *

Another few days found Kakashi and Obito in front of one more base in Mist. They were scoping out the patrols, like they always did, except this time Obito was in lead. Kakashi had absolutely no issues with it either, something he had never been able to say before.

"Patrols are pretty tight, you think this is the one?" Obito asked lowly.

"Could be, more guards changing much more often than the other four we checked."

"Hang on," Obito said, "Those three are talking. I'm going in to see what's up."

"I'll sit tight, barn owl me if things go FUBAR and I'll back you up."

"Yes, sir," was the mocking reply, and then Obito was gone like a ghost.

Kakashi was left alone with his thoughts, his one eye watching the far trio of guards patrol. Working with Obito again was so fulfilling, it was like taking someone with Guy's competency and smashing it into Asuma's low-profile attitude. It was everything Kakashi wanted in a partner, something he found himself always wanting. He never noticed it before, but then again he never really had it before. Was this how his little genin felt?

Well, big ol' grown-up jonin? That's going to take some getting used to.

It has to be, despite all the time Kakashi and Obit spent apart, Kakashi found himself easily trusting his wellbeing to someone else. He hadn't done that since Minato. But Obito was so _good! _And nearly the perfect teammate, their thoughts and ragtag plans lined up almost perfectly, and it was almost like working with a clone.

Obito snuck his way to the tree near the door, mud and twigs concealing him splendidly. Oh, how he had missed Kakashi! All they were missing was Rin and Minato-sensei, but this was much better than what he had been forced to grow up with.

The three men in front of him were having an interesting conversation. One that Obito couldn't wait to get back to Kakashi with.

"Fucking hell, I don't know how many more kekkei genkai we can see before we've seen em all," the first, tall man said. It was too dark to make out too many details without activating the Sharingan.

"Eh, I figure once the boss comes back we'll get rotated over to an easier detail. Why is he going back to those Akatsuki losers again?" this one was the figure in the middle, her voice marking her as a definite woman.

"Not our place to decide. Besides, he's got _Yagura _under his command. Those cloud fuckers are apparently crazy for Jinchuuriki. _I _ heard that he's trading Yagura for Tea Country, and we could hit Konoha from _three _sides." The final, shorter man said.

"Even if that's the deal going down, the woman started, "Going all the way to Amegakure seems pretty risky. Why couldn't they meet up in Tea if that's what's getting traded?"

"Hey, just be glad it'll only take a few weeks, we could be stuck here for months like those guys who work out back. Poor fuckers."

Obito moved to slink away, ready to get a move on.

When he got back to his teammate, Obito wasted no time., "We gotta move, we have a few weeks to get to Ame, both targets are meeting with Akatsuki."

Kakashi had complete faith in his friend, and was bounding away silently before he even finished the explanation.

The trail was getting hot.

* * *

Naruto was getting dragged around by a pair of girls in order to buy _kimonos_. He never thought that this would be a form of torture, but he might have to introduce the idea to Anko. Speaking of… should he invite her? She's just as likely to show up naked and covered in pig's blood than show up and be a respectable guest.

Aaaand that marks the six hour mark. The best part, the girls brought him back to the store they went to first. The one closest to the compound. The one they were at six hours ago. That one.

All Naruto could do was continuously remind himself that he was doing it for love. Did he love Karin? Maybe not the same way as Hinata, but he definitely cared for her. He'd give his life for her in a heartbeat, and that might be all that really matters in the end.

The most important day of his life was going to involve all of his best friends. He was marrying two of them, and the two he repeatedly trusts with his life are going to be marrying each other right next to him on the stage. Or podium. Naruto had never been to a wedding before.

The owner of the store immediately knew who was who when they walked up to the counter. And since word was already spreading, Naruto was offered a deal on the dresses. The second one would be 75% off if he agreed to put a blood seal on the store's safe for the owner.

As the girls were trying on various dresses, which he wasn't allowed to see and therefore had no real purpose of attending, Naruto thought about the previous few days. It had indeed been a rush, but a happy one.

Well, the one real point of awkward tension had been inviting Ino and her team. The girl was shocked that she wasn't part of the wedding contract, and it was painfully obvious to anyone who wasn't Naruto. Luckily, Haku assured her that Ino could marry Naruto the same time Haku did so long as his first two spouses agreed. Naruto promptly shut down after hearing that, no longer able to take the mind-blowing drama that was his life.

Hopefully, things were going better for Sakura and Sasuke.

* * *

Itachi got he bird a day prior, and he immediately set towards Konoha to make his baby brother's wedding. His and Anko's was actually scheduled a week later, they were taking advantage of the crazy wartime wedding rush to have a tiny affair. Neither had many people to invite as it was.

But his baby brother! Sasuke was getting married! It seemed like just last week Sasuke was demanding shoulder rides and ninja training with the blunted weapons around the house. And now here he was getting married.

Itachi walked into his front door, a small smile plastered to his face. The smell hit him first, his nose sharper than average as it was. He knew right away that Sasuke was up to no good. The sound came next, the rhythmic slamming of a pice of upstairs furniture giving away _exactly _what was going on here. And then

"FUCK! Sasuke, okay, Kami," Itachi's eyes blew open when he heard Sakura screaming demands, "Come on, dining room next."

With that order for his brother, Itachi made his way out, deciding to grow grocery shopping instead.

* * *

**Next chapter is the second of the double update!**

**I'm also going to throw this series up on Archive Of Our Own, if you guys happen to be over there would you mind dropping some love on that site as well? You know how it goes, sometimes you gotta like your own work to get the ball rolling. Or something. **

**I'm under the name ZJ_Wilson over there, thanks regardless!**


	15. Chapter 15

It was the Wedding day. Oh, Shinigami take him now, Naruto was nervous.

**"You've literally faced down small armies, and getting married is what scares you?" ** Kurama asked with a grin that could be heard.

_"Yeah, well, this is something I can very easily mess up without even realizing it!" _his partner snapped back.

**"Oh, believe me, kit! They'll all make sure you realize it!"**

_"NOT HELPING THE NERVES, HERE."_

**"Of course I am! Look how much I've distracted you already!" **the laughter was almost malicious.

Ignoring the jab, Naruto went right back to worrying. _"Did we rush this? Are we too young? Oh, Kami what if they regret this for the rest of their lives!"_

**"Ugh,"**the great fox was realizing he was going to have to play wingman. **"Look, Naruto. You are a NINJA. The risk of you dying is so statistically high you aren't supposed to see the end of puberty. There is no such thing as rushing things for you lot. You find what you love—" **

_"Who you love, and hold on tight. I know!"_

**"Then what's the issue! Your parents weren't much older than you when they got married, and they were fucking for way longer!"**

_"I DID NOT HAVE TO HEAR THAT!"_Naruto's internal monologue devolved into a wail.

**"Look. You love them, right?" **

_"Undoubtedly." _

**"You would do anything for them, right?"**

_"Definitely."_

**"Is there anyone else you'd rather have children with, spend your life with?" **

Maybe not anyone else OVER them, but he might be adding to the list… _"No…"_

**"Then believe me when I say you should jump at the chance. Not everyone gets the same one. I'm not even joking about sleeping with two women who are okay with it, either! You found love, Naruto. Keep a grasp on it."**

The blond was actually calmed down a bit, and he was breathing easier. This was fine. He was _in love_for Kami's sake, and a lot of people don't live long enough to enjoy it. He got lucky and found it early, damn straight he's jumping on the opportunity!

Sasuke walked in, blank faced as ever, and looked Naruto dead in the eye. In the brief second that passed in silence, Naruto realized there was only an hour left.

"Naruto," the Uchiha greeted.

"Sasuke," the blond returned.

The raven-haired teen was the first to break the silence.

"What have we dOne?" his voice cracked in what could have been fear.

And just like that, all of Naruto's nerves were back. He whispered, "Oh no…" and things got moving.

Kakashi laid down on the tree trunk, on the far border of the Land of Fire. They had two weeks left to get to Ame and find Orochimaru and Yagura. If they could dig up some dirt on the Akatsuki as well that would be great, because apparently, they have some kind of influence in the minor countries.

Obito was resting nearby, in his own tree. The pair had travelled hard, but regardless, Kakashi felt like he was missing something important. No matter how hard he travelled, he felt late. And not the good kind, either. Obito didn't have the same feeling, though, and Kakashi figured it was just him being paranoid.

So why did he keep thinking about his— the kids? Was this what maternal instincts felt like? They better not be doing anything stupid and/or dangerous.

"Hey Kakashi?" Obito spoke up from his branch.

"What's up?" he asked in a forcibly bored tone.

"What do we don if we run into Pein?"

There was a beat of silence.

"That… is a good question," Kakashi told him.

"I mean… I've put some thought into it and… how would you feel about having a full set of Sharingan?" Obito said this so quietly Kakashi could have fooled himself into thinking he daydreamed it.

"What?" Kakashi's voice was stern, and it made Obito flinch. Some things never did seem to change.

"If we could snag his Rinnegan… think about it! Having those eyes on our side of the war… and since I have all this Senju DNA stuff grafted to me I should be able to use them!"

Kakashi didn't respond at first. "How long have you been thinking about this?"

Obito mulled the question over for a few seconds before answering, "I mean, a good while. You can't turn my eye off because you don't have the matching set or an innate connection. We can't get you the innate connection, but I have the other eye. If I could just grab an upgrade we'll be absolutely peachy!"

Kakashi didn't like that train of thought. "Obito, that man killed Jiraiya with half of his total strength, if that. You said there are _six_of his paths, and There were only three tops at Iwa. We'd need the rest of my team here for that. Maybe just Naruto if he doesn't lose his cool."

The smaller of the two men thought about that. "The thing is… I don't think any of those paths are really him."

"What?" Kakashi asked, honestly confused.

"Think about it! We know one of them can revive the rest, but I know for a fact that one has been taken out before. Kakuzu killed it when Pein was proving his strength in recruiting him. So if the healer isn't the main one, then the rest of them are equally as expendable? It doesn't make sense. And I've seen every body but the Deva path replaced over the years. He's just an extreme puppet master."

"Then…" Kakashi took in the theory quickly, "If we could find his real body, we could end him quickly! But what about the woman? The paper one you mentioned?"

"Konan? She's always by his side, but no real match for me. Together, Kakashi, we can do it."

"… We'll see how it goes. What if I gave you your eye back? You have the Senju DNA, couldn't you just awaken the Rinnegan?"

"NO!" the outburst surprised them both. "I mean, I _gave _you that eye, Kakashi. I don't want it back. Not for something stupid like getting a better pair. It's yours."

"All right," Kakashi said.

The pair stood, stretched, and took off once more, again leaving room for a third teammate.

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, and Karin stood up on a raised platform in front of all their closest friends and family. The girls stood to the outside of their respectful man, Naruto being flanked on either side. Everyone involved was dying of nerves, but Tsunade didn't give time to second guess. This wasn't a big, romantic gesture. This was a military, spartan wedding. She had three more to do today alone, and if the coules (triple?) wanted to renew their vows once they had won some peace they could do it as romantically as they liked.

"We are gathered here today to join together some wonderful young adults in the holy bond of matrimony," the Hokage started. The crowd silenced.

"I know, they seem so… so young to be making such a commitment, and I imagine it is especially impactful on the paresnts that taught them to walk seemingly yesterday!" she paused to allow the chuckle to fade.

"But young love, though fickle we may sometimes find it, is no less real than that of a couple together for fifty years. No, it's not as tested, but it is _real_. And in times like this, when these upstanding men and women risj themselves for our home as they do… no one has the right to begrudge them their love."

As she spoke, the boys on stage felt their fears ease, their anxiety lessen.

"These young men and women, forced to grow up before our very eyes to keep us safe, now prove to both themselves and their loved ones that they are worthy of being seen as an equal. No amount of laws dictating how a ninja is an adult regardless of age can mean as much as someone showing the maturity of dedicating themselves. They've already done so to our home, and now they do so to love itself, in the form of the person or people they will spend eternity with."

"Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. Do you take Hinata to be your wedded wife, in the eyes of our law and our gods, to love and to hold, for the rest of the days you are blessed with her?"

"I do." There was no shake in his voice, nothing but the certainty of his conviction, of his love for her.

"Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, Do you take Karin Uzumaki to be your wedded wife, in the eyes of our law and our gods, to love and to hold, for the rest of the days you are blessed with her?"

"I do."

"And do you vow, to your second wife, to our gods, and to the witnesses here today that you will love her equally, as if she were your only love in this life?"

"I do." And he would, in time. He already knew he would.

"Hinata, no longer of the Hyuuga. Do you take Naruto to be your wedded husband, in the eyes of our law and our gods, to love and to hold, for the rest of the days you are blessed with him?"

"I do." There was no stutter, no shy hesitation that most expected of her.

"Karin Uzumaki. Do you take Naruto to be your wedded husband, in the eyes of our law and our gods, to love and to hold, for the rest of the days you are blessed with him?"

"I do."

"Please, join hands," Tsunade demanded. They did so, their triangle complete yet showing the crowd no-one's back. "With the power I hold as the Godaime Hokage, I bind you. May your souls find comfort in one another for the rest of time, and may your love last even longer."

"You may kiss your brides."

Kakashi was resting once more with Obito, a fresh kill roasting over the fire. He was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of intense pride, and tears came unbidden to his visible eye. Luckily, Obito was napping, but the feeling wouldn't abate. Those kids must not have done anything too stupid after all.

Naruto stood with his wives, elated and giddy. He watched with previously unprecedented joy as the process was repeated for his teammates, and cheered with the rest of the crowd when they kissed and sealed the deal. Did that happen for him too? He didn't notice.

His hands were never free, and his mind was much the same. As Tsunade gave the finishing rites Naruto's eyes struggled to leave the happy faces of the girls he was with. Before he knew it, he was being shoved around the crowd, receiving congratulations and praise all around. He saw both Hinata and Karin getting much of the same treatment, and there was plenty to drink.

"Naruto!" Sasuke finally found him."

"Sasuke! Are you still concerned about what we've done?" the jinchuriki asked with a grin.

"I don't know why I was ever worried. We're going to get going, we only have two weeks for a honeymoon… and I'm REALLY intent on reviving my clan."

Naruto playfully smacked his shoulder. "Oh you rascal, you! I guess I can't tease you guys about that anymore, huh?"

Sakura flowed over to them, Naruto's wives in tow behind her. "Nope!" she exclaimed happily.

"Naruto, can we get going home too?" Karin asked impatiently, her legs rubbing together as if she needed the restroom.

"Sure, You girls only have what, two weeks?" Naruto looked to Sasuke for a nod, "to get pregnant. We have a LOT of work to do!"

The little group laughed at Hinata's blush, Karin ignoring her own excited one to laugh instead.

Sakura grabbed Karin by the shoulders and looked her up and down. "See you in two weeks?" she didn't really have to ask, but the redhead nodded vigorously anyhow.

"Two weeks," they all chorused.

******If it's requested enough, I can always jot down the details of what those two weeks entailed over on A03. Don't want to play with Fanfiction's rating too much*********

Obito lay in the gutter absolutely stock still. They had been in Ame for a week now, doing their best to avoid the rain. If anyone else had come here without that knowledge Pein would have sensed them immediately. Sometimes it was nice to be a traitor against the bad guys.

Kakashi was right next to him for both minimizing need for cover and for warmth. The near constant drizzle left things horribly wet and cold.

"Two weeks in, We really should have seen the targets by now. At least heard rumors," Kakashi said from Obito's left.

"Have faith, worst case scenario we find Pein's body, remember?"

"And how do you suggest we do that? Rumors around here say he's an actual god, no one knows where to look for him," Kakashi reminded his partner grimly.

"How much you wanna bet he's in the tallest tower like a princess."

Silence.

Sometimes Kakashi still wanted to smack the other man upside the head. Did Sakura get that from him?

"Actually, that would give him the best vantage point for both surveillance and casting the rain jutsu…"

Obito agreed immediately, "Exactly! That's what I was talking about, that right there and nothing else."

Kakashi rolled his eyes and then froze. Someone was behind them.

"Not a bad guess, unfortunately you can't live long enough to find out," a woman said from behind the two.

"Ah, hello again, Konan! It's been a while, yeah?" Obito tried.

"You will die the slow death of a traitor, Tobi, I hope you know this."

Kakashi snapped, "Handprint!" and dashed forward into the rain. A missed swipe with his Chidori drove Konan to the side, the lightning sizzling the paper she seemed to be made of. The rain abruptly stopped, and Kakashi knew time was short. He blazed through a few signs for a fireball, and herded Konan even further, and he was right to guess she feared fire more than lightning.

The would-be epic fight was cut short, however, when Obito stepped in. One quick touch to the paper on her neck as she was evading fire and she was gone. Sucked into Obito's other world.

"Kakashi, he know's we're here! We need ot go before he realizes Konan—"

"Where is she?" a cold, painfully familiar voice asked from above.

Both Sharingan users looked up and saw a barely apathetic Pein above them.

"Listten, Pein! Konan is gone!" Obito started, trying to bluff their way out. He was no fool, and Kakashi was happy to let him take the reins here. He's had more interactions with the self-proclaimed god, after all.

"I see that, and for this I find that I must thank you."

That confused both Konoha nin.

"You have granted me the last possible gift of Pain this world could offer me, and I have finished my ascension. I think I'll reward you with a taste of this enlightenment."

There was a sudden squelch as Obito felt his stomach get tore into. He dematerialized as soon as he could, but the object that entered his back almost made it all the way through to the front. This would be fatal without Rin here to patch him up…

"OBITO!" Kakashi screamed in fury, another Chidori blanketing his right armas he spun to the base of the long projectile. It seemed to come from nowhere, and that could mean one thing.

His arms sank into and killed the giant chameleon, but the damage was done. Obito was dying , again. In front of him, AGAIN.

"Savor this pain, Kakashi of the Sharingan, and I'll be sure that there is more waiting for you at home. This is my thanks, for taking Konan from me…"

And they were gone. Kakashi didn't care to understand how, because his friend was in his arms bleeding out, something much too familiar for comfort.

"K-Kakashi, I'll tell Rin you said hi right after…" a deep shuddering breath. The tongue had been quite large in diameter and Obito was losing a lot of blood. "Right after I ask her why she didn't come down here and fix me."

Kakashi couldn't even muster the strength to laugh at the poor excuse of a joke.

"Here!" Kakashi exposed the Sharingan within his skull. "Take this back, awaken the Rinnegan, and heal yourself! You can do it!" Kakashi nearly demanded the act be done.

Obito looked like he wanted to argue, but he had very little strength left. "F-fine. But if I die anyway, you gotta promise to take them both. L-live up to your name, mister of the Sh-shhh-aringan."

Kakashi didn't even register the pain in his eye socket, the blood minimal with the skill it was plucked from his skull. It may have helped that it wasn't his to begin with.

Obito shakily set it in place, and eveything hooked itself up as if it had never left. It wasn't SUPPOSED to do that, the long term emptiness should have rotted everything important away. But maybe those Senju cells were the key…

Suddenly, the eye was in. And it wasn't a Mangyeko anymore.

It was spinning, and Obito was gasping as he was dying, but it was definitely becoming the Rinnegan.

"It's working! Obito, Obito hang on," Kakashi's voice was gruff and desperate. "I don't know why, but it's working!"

Obito felt the power, the _abilities_at his fingertips. Unfortunately, Orochimaru's theories were right. It wasn't the full rinnegan, but it had what he originally wanted.

"Kakash, the strength was back, but not by much. "I have to apologize."

"What?" the now truly one-eyed man was confused.

"I… I have been using you. All of Konoha, really. I needed Pein's Rinnegan to… bring her back."

Kakashi clenched his fists, not caring in the slightest. "That doesn't matter now! You're here, and she's not, just heal yourself and we can forget it! I won't report you, Obito…"

"No, Kakashi, I'm dying. I don't have the full Rinnegan, this isn't genuine because of the false DNA. But I can… bring someone back. At the cost of my life, I can bring them back."

This wasn't wasn't going to do this _again_.

"Don't be stupid, Rin wouldn't want to come back," he tried.

"I wouldn't bring her back now as it is. Too much war, she could just… get hurt again. No, I have someone else in mind. Naruto can… meet his dad… and you can tell Sensei I said hi," a weak chuckle.

Kakashi wanted nothing more than to wake up at that moment. Forced to choose between talking his friend into saving himself or sacrificing himself to bring back the Yondaime. If he even could.

"It's not… your…" Obito was starting to glow, and his voice was starting to fade.

**"Decision!"**a guttural word tore itself from Obito's throat, and Kakashi almost recoiled.

"What?" Kakashi was more than a little confused at the whole ordeal. This was so far out of his league.

The glow was gone, and the peace on Obito's face was replaced with fear. "Kakashi! Its Zetsu! He's— **Don't mind me, just need to borrow a pair of eyes, is all!**— trying to take me over!"

Kakashi gripped a kunai, unsure what to do even as the realization dawned on him. The Senju half of Obito. Zetsu could… no…

Obito gave another look of agony as he fought for control in his dying body. Zetsu wasn't healing the wound on purpose! He needed him ewak to take over!

"Kakashi! You have to stop**Me? Stop ME? Don't be foolish, child, I'm older than any of you can comprehend! And I need to bring back a certain Uchiha…"**

**"**KILL ME KAKASHI!"

And the heart of the last Hatake stopped and shattered. He couldn't do that, not again. He couldn't even do it the first time around… and now so much more was at stake.

**"Do it, Hatake. Go on,_kill_me. Ram your Chidori into my heart, that way we have something in common to talk to Rin about."**

And that was it. Kakashi froze, and Obito lost his battle. There was a blinding white light, an explosion of chakra that sent Kakashi flying backwards, and a perfectly healthy, whole ninja of untold power standing before him.

"Mmm. How good it is to be back."

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, Karin, and Haku all stood outside the entrance to the hospital chatting amicably. They would normally wait inside for the final verdict, but it was just so gorgeous out that they couldn't waste a second of the day.

After an… eventful two weeks, the girls went to see Tsunade about the results of their efforts.

Naruto and Sasuke, understandably, weren't quite grasping the scope of the coming news, but what teenager is ACTUALLY ready to be a father? To be fair, what adult is truly ready? And since the average life expectancy for a ninja evens out at 22, it's best to start early.

Tsunade came out with a grim look on her face, and all of the teenagers fell silent.

"Well, I'm almost actually impressed." Tsunade said to no one in particular. "It's too early for standard, more definitive tests, but all three of you girls seem to have interrupted your coming cycle. In my experience, that means it's an 80%chance you're going to have a child."

There were cheers all around, and hugs, and kisses, but the good news didn't last long. Four ANBU materialized near the Hokage bearing urgent news.

"Lady Hokage, there are six fast moving signatures flying towards Konoha from the West. We have a vague Idea of who it is."

Naruto felt his blood boil.

"Karin, Hinata, lovelies, would you mind waiting back at the compound for me?"

He was met with a pair of hard no's.

Tsunade looked at Team Seven. "Get battle ready as soon as possible, You are the first line of defense with Obito out. Kakashi is with him, wherever they are," she looked to the ANBU," Start evacuating civilians to the—"

She was cut off by a deep _Whump!_

Everyone's eyes went skyward and they could see the Konoha barrier fail untder the assault.

**"Well fuck, he's quick."**

_"He's fucking dead. I'll kill him, then have him revived so I can FUCKING kill him again."_

The hospital was fairly central in the village, for logistical purposes. That being said, Team Seven was looking almost straight up by the time the six figures stopped in midair..

Villagers were streaming outside, ninja and civilian alike. There had been no time to evacuate.

For some reason, the six were just floating… maybe waiting…

**"Naruto! Shinra Tensei! You have to summon me NOW!" **

Naruto's memories flashed to the rubble of the town he first met Pein in. Konoha was about to meet he same fate.

Naruto had almost enough Chakra flow from his arms to his back before he heard the devastating words, "SHINRA TENSEI!"

The force of gravity coming down started the same time Kurama started shooting up in his full nine-tailed glory.

Villagers screamed, their worst nightmare was happening again, and nothing Naruto did at the exam could have prepared them for this. Before Kurama could get up to full height, up to his feet, gravity met his back.

**"ahHGHH!" **the deep, guttural roar was one no one recognized from the 'rampaging' fox. Pain, pure agony.

Naruto watched with tears in his eyes as the bones in his friend's front legs snapped under the pressure. His right front leg had a shard sticking out of the upper portion, and the left leg was much the same but lower. Skin and fur were dragged down to the Earth, although muscle and bone resisted. Sloly, Kurama went to his knees, in agony of the broken bones.

People watching were horrified for a new reason. This… man was subduing the Kyuubi. With a single technique. The thought alone was horrifying. And the building that had tops taller than the Kyuubi on its knes were reduced to rubble, flattened unfer the intense gravity.

Kurama never quit. There was nothing Naruto could realy do, nothing he threw up there would get past the wall of sinking gravity. All he could do was watch on.

Soon, Kurama's shoulderblade cut through muscle, skin, and fur. The harsh white was splashed with blood, even as his legs broke further and his screams of agony grew worse. The village started to sympathize only the smallest bit, but Naruto may as well have suffered the injuries himself.

Kurama could stop at any time, allow himself to be dispelled. But it would mean the death of the village, of the people Naruot loved. And he could not allow that. Mustering what strength he could, Kurama pooled chakra to his back legs and tried to stand in defiance. His femurs, snapped, the upper portion stabbing out through skin again and burying the jagged ends into the dirt. More incoherent screams of pain. Naruto saw another path fly to the side, and a massive three headed dog was summoned in the sky.

Kurama saw this, and only had one shot in him. It would have to work, or the village and everyone in t would die.

**"LEAVE!"** His shout was for all the world to hear. Heavy, black and blue chakra started to pool quickly around Kurama's mouth, and Naruto knew what would happen. **"MY!" **the ball wasn't condensed enough, but no one could blame Kurama for it when he was in such a state. **"HOME!"**

The blast didn't leave as a tight ball in semblance to a Rasengan. It was a constant stream of pure hatred for the enemy, anger at the intrusion, and Will of Fire to protect people. And it all came from Kurama.

The three headed dog stood no chance and was vaporized in a gory mist, blood rained down in the heavy gravity. Kurama swept the beam over, and almost managed to take out the group. The important thing was he scattered them, and the gravity jutsu was cancelled. He had done it.

Kurama collapsed onto his side, sobbing ninja running up to him in worry and thanks, Naruto chief among them.

**"I've done what I can, kit. Protect your village, your people. Save our home."**

And Kurama disappeared in a poof of white and blood red smoke, back into Naruto to recover.

The ninja and civilians who witnessed the exchange knew then, Naruto was right. The Kyuubi was not their enemy, but now they know who was.


End file.
